Gaze Pattern Detection for Vehicle Control Handoff
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current autonomous vehicle systems lack effective methods to confirm a driver's readiness and awareness of their surroundings before handing back control, as existing alert systems do not guarantee the driver's attention is focused on the environment, potentially leading to unsafe transitions.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle control handoff system utilizing a controller with imaging devices and environment sensors to detect a driver's gaze and gestures, defining a gaze pattern based on environmental features, and transferring control only when the driver's gaze corresponds to these patterns, ensuring awareness and readiness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the autonomous system provides warnings or alerts to bring the driver's attention back to the driving environment, then the driver is alerted of the need to retake control, but confirmation of the driver's alertness and readiness in regaining control cannot be confirmed
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements feedback by monitoring the driver's gaze direction through imaging devices and comparing it against predefined gaze patterns. The system only transfers control when the driver's gaze aligns with expected driving-oriented directions, providing confirmation of readiness rather than relying solely on alert presentations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces mechanical or manual verification methods with optical detection systems. Imaging devices capture the driver's eye movements and gaze direction, substituting physical observation with automated visual field analysis to determine driver attention and readiness.
2Ease of operation
If the system allows drivers to take their eyes off the road during particular stretches, then automation convenience is improved, but the driver's awareness of dynamic environmental features may be lost
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary verification by establishing predefined gaze patterns corresponding to safe driving states before control transfer. The driver's gaze is checked against these patterns to ensure they are oriented toward the driving environment before automation disengages, preventing awareness loss.
Solution Approach 2:
The driver essentially verifies their own readiness through their natural gaze behavior. The system monitors whether the driver's eyes are directed toward the road or environment, allowing the driver to self-confirm their attention state without external prompts or complex interactions.
3Productivity
If the system transfers control based solely on alert presentation, then the handoff process is simplified, but safety cannot be guaranteed as driver attention focus is not confirmed
Solution Approach 1:
The system replaces manual safety checks with automated visual field analysis. Imaging devices track the driver's gaze direction and compare it against predefined patterns, substituting subjective judgment with objective optical measurement to confirm driver attention focus before control transfer.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements continuous feedback monitoring of the driver's gaze direction. Only when the feedback signal indicates the driver's gaze aligns with driving-oriented directions does the system proceed with control transfer, ensuring safety verification before automation disengagement.
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle control handoff system includes a controller comprising a processor and a non-transitory computer readable memory, one or more environment sensors and an imaging device communicatively coupled to the controller, and a machine-readable instruction set stored in the non-transitory computer readable memory of the controller. The machine-readable instruction set causes the system to: receive image data from at least one imaging device, receive one or more signals corresponding to an environment of a vehicle from the one or more environment sensors, define a gaze pattern comprising a first gaze direction corresponding to a first location within the environment of the vehicle, determine a first gaze based on the image data of the driver, determine whether the first gaze corresponds to at least one gaze direction of the gaze pattern, and transfer control of a vehicle operation from control by the controller to the driver in response to determining that the first gaze corresponds to the gaze pattern.