Driver Eye-Off-Road Time Control for Adaptive Driving HMI

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current automatic driving systems lack dynamic adjustment of the time a driver can safely look away from the road, leading to insufficient attention freedom and potential safety risks due to fixed allowable times.

Innovation Solution

An eye-free driving assistance system that dynamically adjusts the time a driver can look away from the road by considering various influencing factors, including eye gaze information, traffic conditions, road dynamics, environmental factors, and driver state, using a combination of static and dynamic modules to determine and monitor allowable eye-free time.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If a fixed allowable eye-free time is used in the DMS, then the safety function is ensured, but the attention freedom of the driver is insufficient

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveattention freedomVSAvoidsafety function
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements dynamic adjustment of the allowable eye-free time based on real-time driving conditions. The system continuously monitors dynamic factors (vehicle speed, traffic flow, road curvature) and environmental factors (weather, lighting) to adaptively modify the time threshold, transforming the fixed safety parameter into a dynamic one that balances safety and driver attention freedom.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The system changes the parameter of allowable eye-free time from a fixed value to a variable that adjusts according to multiple influencing factors. By modifying this critical parameter dynamically, the system resolves the contradiction between maintaining safety (requiring strict time limits) and allowing attention freedom (requiring longer permissible periods).

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Ease of operation

If the allowable eye-free time is extended to improve attention freedom, then driver comfort increases, but safety risks increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveattention freedomVSAvoidsafety risks
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The system employs continuous feedback loops where sensors monitor driving conditions and driver eye state, the controller processes this information to determine appropriate eye-free time allowances, and the system adjusts in real-time. This feedback mechanism ensures that extended attention freedom does not compromise safety, as the system continuously verifies conditions and adjusts accordingly.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

By making the allowable eye-free time dynamic rather than static, the system can extend the time during safe conditions (improving attention freedom) while automatically reducing it when risks arise (maintaining safety). This dynamic adaptation resolves the contradiction between extended time and safety risks.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

3Measurement precision

If multiple dynamic factors are considered for adjusting eye-free time, then accuracy of allowable time determination improves, but system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvevalue accuracy of allowable timeVSAvoidsystem complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the complex determination process into distinct functional modules: a static eye-free time module that establishes baseline values, a dynamic eye-free factor processing module that evaluates multiple influencing factors, and an eye-free time adjusting module that synthesizes the information. This segmentation manages complexity by organizing the multi-factor analysis into structured, manageable components.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The controller serves multiple functions: it monitors driver eye state, processes dynamic driving factors, evaluates environmental conditions, calculates the allowable eye-free time, and controls alarm outputs. By making the controller multi-functional, the system achieves high measurement precision without proportionally increasing overall system complexity, as one component performs multiple critical tasks.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentEP4497646B1Eye-free driving assistance system and method, electronic device, and storage medium
Publication Date: 2026.01.14 CHONGQING CHANGAN AUTOMOBILE CO LTD
  • EP4497646B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP4497646B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4
  • EP4497646B1 patent drawingFigure 5~6

AI summary

Disclosed are an eye-free driving assistance system and method, an electronic device, and a storage medium. The system includes: a static eye-free time module, configured to determine corresponding static eye-free time allowance according to eye gaze information; a dynamic eye-free factor processing module, configured to determine a dynamic eye-free time adjusting factor according to each dynamic factor information; an eye-free time adjusting module, configured to determine allowable eye-free time according to the static eye-free time allowance and the dynamic eye-free time adjusting factor; and an eye-free time monitor in an automatic driving HMI system, configured to receive the allowable eye-free time and monitor the eye-free time of a driver, compare the two to obtain a comparison result, and issue an alarm to a driver warning system according to the comparison result. A purpose is to dynamically adjust the allowable eye-free time according to various influencing factors so as to improve the accuracy of the allowable eye-free time in different scenes, thereby improving the attention freedom of the driver during driving.