Sleep Warning Apparatus Using Pre-Warning Stimulation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing sleep warning systems for drivers are inefficient in timing and can be annoying, as they often generate warnings too late or too early, and require frequent responses from drivers, which can be troublesome and unnecessary.
Innovation Solution
A sleep warning apparatus that includes stimulation generating means, reaction detecting means, and warning determining means, using white noise as pre-warning stimulation, which adjusts based on environmental sound levels and detects driver reactions through image processing and biosignals to determine if a main warning is needed.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a pre-warning is generated before the main warning to reduce unnecessary warnings, then the reliability of warning timing is improved, but the pre-warning may still be generated while the driver is awake causing annoyance
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary detection of driver wakefulness status before generating the pre-warning. By using image processing to detect eyelid position and biosignals to assess alertness, the system takes preliminary action to determine whether the driver is actually asleep, thus avoiding unnecessary pre-warnings that would cause annoyance while maintaining reliable warning timing when needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses feedback from image processing and biosignal detection to continuously monitor driver status. The detection results feed back into the warning determination logic, allowing the system to adjust warning generation based on real-time driver state, thereby improving timing accuracy while reducing false warnings that would annoy awake drivers.
2Reliability
If a response operation is required every time monotonous drive is detected, then the reliability of warning suppression is improved, but the ease of operation deteriorates as drivers feel troublesome
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs self-service by automatically determining whether warnings should be suppressed based on detected driver reactions to pre-warnings. Instead of requiring driver input, the system monitors physiological responses and behavioral cues to autonomously decide on warning suppression, thereby maintaining reliable suppression accuracy while eliminating the burden of repeated manual operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical interaction of button pressing with biological signal detection. By substituting the manual response operation with automated detection of driver physiological states through image processing and biosignals, the system maintains accurate warning suppression while dramatically improving ease of operation.
3Productivity
If warning is generated based on sleepiness estimation, then the productivity of detecting sleepiness is improved, but the measurement precision deteriorates due to individual differences
Solution Approach 1:
The system changes multiple parameters simultaneously to improve measurement precision: it combines visual parameters (eyelid position from images) with physiological parameters (biosignals), and integrates temporal patterns of behavior. This multi-parameter approach compensates for individual differences in sleepiness manifestation, thereby improving estimation accuracy while maintaining high detection efficiency.
Data Source
AI summary
A sleep warning apparatus includes a stimulation generating portion, a reaction detecting portion, a warning determining portion, and a warning generating portion. The stimulation generating portion generates stimulation to a person before a warning is given to the person. The stimulation is used to take reaction of the person. The reaction detecting portion detects the reaction of the person to the stimulation when the stimulation generated by the stimulation generating portion is given to the person. The warning determining portion determines whether or not the warning is required to be given to the person depending on whether or not the reaction detecting portion detects the reaction of the person to the stimulation. The warning generating portion gives the warning to the person when the warning determining portion determines that the warning is required to be given to the person.