Driver Gaze Distraction Judgment for Near-Object Viewing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional driver monitoring systems struggle to accurately distinguish between a driver looking at inside vehicle equipment and outside objects due to the gaze direction changing in the up/down direction based on the proximity of outside objects, leading to mistaken judgments of distraction when the driver is actually viewing outside objects.
Innovation Solution
A distraction judgment device that adjusts the up/down viewing judgment range based on the positional relationship with outside objects, changing the range's top end position downward when objects are close by and maintaining or increasing the distraction judgment angle when objects are close by to prevent false distractions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the allowable left-right direction range of gaze is adjusted according to the distance to a preceding vehicle, then the judgment accuracy for driver distraction is improved, but the gaze direction turns downward when viewing outside objects close by, causing false positive judgments that inside equipment is being viewed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the viewing judgment range adjustable rather than fixed. Specifically, the control device dynamically changes the up-down direction viewing judgment range based on the detected distance to outside objects. When an outside object is detected at a short distance, the viewing judgment range is shifted downward to accommodate the natural downward turn of gaze when viewing close objects, thereby preventing false positive distraction judgments while maintaining accurate detection of actual inside equipment viewing.
2Measurement precision
If the top end position of the viewing judgment range is set high to detect inside equipment viewing, then detection sensitivity for distraction is improved, but false judgments occur when drivers view outside objects that are close by
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamics by dynamically adjusting the top end position of the viewing judgment range based on the distance to outside objects. When outside objects are detected at short distances, the top end position is lowered to prevent false positives. When no outside objects are present or they are far away, the top end position is maintained at a higher position to ensure high detection sensitivity for inside equipment viewing. This dynamic adjustment resolves the contradiction between detection sensitivity and false positive rate.
3Productivity
If a fixed distraction judgment time is used, then the judgment process is simple and fast, but accurate distinction between viewing inside equipment and outside objects becomes difficult when gaze direction changes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the distraction judgment time variable rather than fixed. The control device adjusts the distraction judgment time based on the distance to outside objects and the current viewing judgment range. When outside objects are detected at short distances, the distraction judgment time is extended to allow sufficient time for the viewing judgment range to adjust and for the driver to naturally shift gaze downward, preventing premature distraction judgments. This dynamic adjustment maintains fast processing while improving accuracy.
Data Source
AI summary
A distraction judgment device detecting an object present in a front direction of a vehicle based on surrounding data showing a situation around that vehicle, detecting a gaze origin and gaze direction of the driver based on driver data showing a state of the driver, changing an up-down direction viewing judgment range for judging whether the driver is looking at inside equipment arranged inside at the front in accordance with a positional relationship with the object, judging that the driver is being distracted by the inside equipment if the gaze direction of the driver falls within the viewing judgment range continuously for greater than or equal to a predetermined distraction judgment time, and changing the viewing judgment range so that the top end position of the viewing judgment range becomes lower when the object is positioned close by compared to when it is positioned far away.