Eye-Movement AI Detection for Driver Notification Filtering

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current methods fail to accurately determine whether a user is actively driving a vehicle, leading to inappropriate notification filtering and potential distractions, especially with the rise of autonomous vehicles and varying individual gaze frequencies.

Innovation Solution

A method using eye movement sensors and artificial intelligence to differentiate between active driving and non-active driving states by measuring and comparing eye movement frequencies, with thresholds calibrated for each user, and integrating with vehicle position and notification systems to filter or display notifications accordingly.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If notification filtering is applied to all users in moving vehicles, then road safety is improved, but legitimate notifications to passengers and autonomous vehicle drivers are blocked

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveroad safetyVSAvoidnotification delivery accuracy
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The system applies different notification filtering rules to different users based on their specific situation. The processing circuit determines whether each user is actively driving or not, and applies notification filtering only to actively driving users, while allowing notifications to reach passengers and autonomous vehicle drivers. This localized differentiation resolves the contradiction by making the notification system adaptive to individual user contexts rather than applying a blanket filtering rule to all users in moving vehicles.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

2Measurement precision

If eye movement frequency threshold is set low to catch all non-driving users, then detection sensitivity is improved, but false positives increase for individual users with naturally high gaze frequency

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedetection sensitivityVSAvoidfalse positive rate
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs a preliminary learning phase during which the processing circuit collects eye movement data from a specific user over time and determines that user's individual threshold. This preliminary action establishes a personalized baseline before actual driving state detection begins, ensuring that the threshold reflects each user's natural eye movement characteristics. This resolves the contradiction by preventing false positives for users with naturally high gaze frequency while maintaining high detection sensitivity through individualized calibration.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

3Measurement precision

If individualized threshold calibration is implemented for each user, then detection accuracy is improved, but system complexity and calibration time increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedetection accuracyVSAvoidcalibration system complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system automatically performs the calibration process without requiring manual intervention or complex user setup. The processing circuit autonomously collects eye movement data during a learning phase, analyzes the patterns, and determines individualized thresholds for each user. This self-service approach resolves the contradiction by achieving high detection accuracy through individualized calibration while minimizing system complexity and user burden, as the calibration happens automatically in the background during normal vehicle operation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentUS11794769B2Determination of a state of a user actively driving a motor vehicle or not
Publication Date: 2023.10.24 VALEO VISION SA
  • US11794769B2 patent drawing
  • US11794769B2 patent drawing
  • US11794769B2 patent drawing

AI summary

A method and device for determining whether a user is actively driving a motor vehicle or car sick. The sensor device is provided for sensing eye movement of the user and the method includes supplying an artificial intelligence with data originating from the sensor device in order to recognize at least one frequency of eye movements of the user, a frequency of eye movements above a first threshold characterizing a visualization by the user of a passing landscape, and being distinguished from a concentration of gaze of a vehicle driver, and determining a current frequency of eye movements of the user and comparing the current frequency with the first threshold, and if the current frequency is greater than the first threshold, triggering a notification signal for the user.