Driver Readiness Monitoring Using Camera and Terminal Data
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Solution Overview
Problem
During level 3 automated driving, it is difficult to differentiate between a driver operating a terminal and one who is dozing off or in an abnormal posture using imaging devices, leading to mistaken judgments about the driver's readiness to perform driving operations.
Innovation Solution
A driver monitoring device that uses both imaging data from cameras and information from terminals to assess the driver's state, adjusting judgment criteria based on whether the driver is awake and reducing false negatives by acquiring additional information from the terminal when necessary.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If imaging devices are used to monitor the driver's state during level 3 automated driving, then the driver's safety can be monitored, but it becomes difficult to differentiate between a driver operating a terminal and one who is dozing off or in an abnormal posture
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple information sources including imaging device data, terminal operation data, and vehicle operation data to comprehensively judge the driver's state. By merging these different data types, the system can differentiate between legitimate terminal operation and actual driver unavailability, resolving the ambiguity that arises when using imaging devices alone.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces terminal operation information as an intermediary indicator to help interpret imaging device data. When the terminal detects active operation (such as touchscreen input or keyboard usage), this serves as evidence that the driver is awake and engaged, even if the imaging device shows the driver's head in a position that might otherwise be interpreted as dozing off.
2Productivity
If the driver is allowed to operate a terminal during level 3 automated driving, then operational efficiency is improved, but the driver may be mistakenly judged as not being in a drive ready state
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary acquisition of terminal operation information before making the final driver readiness judgment. By proactively collecting data about terminal usage patterns, the system can preemptively identify when the driver is legitimately engaged with the terminal versus when the driver is actually unavailable, preventing mistaken judgments before they occur.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where terminal operation information continuously informs the driver state judgment process. The judgment result is fed back and adjusted based on ongoing terminal operation data, allowing the system to maintain accurate driver readiness assessment even while the driver is actively using the terminal during automated driving.
Data Source
AI summary
The driver monitoring device includes a judgment part configured to judge whether a driver of a vehicle is in a drive ready state in which the driver can perform driving operations; and a notification part configured to issue a warning to the driver when it is judged that the driver is not in the drive ready state. The judgment part is configured to acquire an image generated by an imaging device provided at the vehicle so as to capture the driver and driver information acquired by a terminal able to be operated by the driver, and judge whether the driver is in the drive ready state based on the image and the driver information.