Driver Monitoring Alerts for Inattentive Vehicle Warning

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Current driver drowsiness and attention warning (DDAW) systems only alert the driver to their inattentive behavior but fail to notify surrounding vehicles and pedestrians of a potentially drowsy or inattentive driver, posing a risk to other road users.

Innovation Solution

A vehicle monitoring system that uses one or more cameras to capture image data of the driver, processing this data to determine the driver's attentiveness or drowsiness level. If the driver is deemed above a threshold level of drowsiness or inattentiveness, the system communicates a signal externally, such as through illuminated vehicle lights or wireless communication, to alert other vehicles and pedestrians.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of information

If the system only alerts the driver to their inattentive behavior, then the driver receives warning, but surrounding vehicles and pedestrians are not notified of the potential hazard

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveinformation about driver drowsinessVSAvoidrisk to other road users

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of informationVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The system uses external lights (brake lights, taillights, CHMSL) as intermediary signals to communicate driver drowsiness status to surrounding vehicles and pedestrians. These existing vehicle lighting components serve as mediators to transmit hazard information without requiring direct communication between vehicles

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The equipped vehicle's own lighting system is utilized to convey driver status information. The vehicle self-services by using its existing illumination infrastructure (exterior lights) to communicate hazard status to the external environment, eliminating the need for separate communication devices

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

2Adaptability or versatility

If the system uses existing exterior lights to communicate drowsiness status, then notification to other road users is achieved, but the lighting system must be used for purposes other than its primary function

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvelighting system functionalityVSAvoidclear communication of driver status

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The exterior lighting system is designed to perform multiple functions: its primary function (illumination for braking, stopping, turning) and a secondary function (communicating driver drowsiness status). By making the lighting system universal, the patent eliminates the need for separate communication hardware while maintaining clear hazard signaling

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentUS12266195B2Vehicular driver monitoring system with alert to other vehicles

Publication Date: 2025.04.01 MAGNA ELECTRONICS INC

AI summary

A vehicular driver monitoring system includes a camera disposed at an interior cabin of a vehicle. Electronic circuitry of an ECU includes an image processor for processing image data captured by the camera. The camera views at least a head region of a driver of the vehicle and is operable to capture image data. Based on processing at the ECU of the captured image data, the vehicular driver monitoring system determines an attentiveness level of the driver. Responsive to determination that the attentiveness level of the driver is below a threshold level of attentiveness, the vehicular driver monitoring system alerts a person exterior the vehicle of the determined inattentive driver.