Apparatus detecting driving incapability state of driver

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10430676-B2
Application number	US-201515321004-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 8, 2015
Priority date	Jun 23, 2014
Publication date	Oct 1, 2019
Grant date	Oct 1, 2019

Abstract

An apparatus detecting driving incapability state of a driver includes: a head detection portion that detects a head of the driver based on an image of a driver's seat captured by an imaging device mounted on a vehicle; and a shake detection portion that detects the driver is incapable of driving when an amplitude of a shake of the head detected by the head detection portion is smaller than a first amplitude or larger than a second amplitude, which is larger than the first amplitude, before a shake determination time elapses after external force has been applied to the vehicle during travel of the vehicle.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An apparatus detecting driving incapability state of a driver, the apparatus comprising:
an imaging device that is mounted on a vehicle and is configured to capture a driver's seat;
a memory storing a head detection portion and a shake detection portion; and
a processor executing the head detection portion and the shake detection portion stored in the memory, wherein
the head detection portion detects a head of the driver based on an image of the driver's seat captured by the imaging device, and
the shake detection portion detects the driver is incapable of driving when an amplitude of a shake of the head detected by the head detection portion is smaller than a first amplitude or larger than a second amplitude, which is larger than the first amplitude, before a shake determination time elapses after external force has been applied to the vehicle during travel of the vehicle, causing the vehicle to be safely stopped in a case where it is determined that the driver is incapable of driving.

2. The apparatus detecting driving incapability state of the driver according to claim 1 , wherein:
the shake detection portion detects the driver is incapable of driving on condition that the head shakes by a time the shake determination time elapses after the external force has been applied to the vehicle, and that a position of the head is within an unmoving determination area after the shake determination time has elapsed.

3. The apparatus detecting driving incapability state of the driver according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a learning portion that learns the amplitude of the shake of the head detected by the head detection portion when the driver is not incapable of driving,
wherein:
the shake detection portion detects the driver is capable of driving on condition that the amplitude of the shake of the head detected by the head detection portion is larger than the amplitude of the shake of the head learned by the learning portion by exceeding an amplitude determination value.

4. The apparatus detecting driving incapability state of the driver according to claim 1 , wherein:
the shake detection portion detects the driver is incapable of driving on condition that a steering wheel of the vehicle is not operated for a time longer than an operation determination time.

5. The apparatus detecting driving incapability state of the driver according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a facial expression detection portion that detects an eye outline and a black eye region of the driver based on the image;
a white eye exposure calculation portion that calculates exposure of white of each eye of the driver based on the eye outline and the black eye region detected by the facial expression detection portion; and
a white eye state detection portion that detects the driver is incapable of driving when the exposure of the white of the eye, calculated by the white eye exposure calculation portion, is greater than a white eye threshold in a case where the shake detection portion does not detect the driver is incapable of driving.

6. The apparatus detecting driving incapability state of the driver according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a posture notification portion that notifies the driver of a degree of posture collapse based on the position of the head detected by the head detection portion.

7. The apparatus detecting driving incapability state of a driver according to claim 1 , further comprising:
an inquiry portion that asks the driver whether the driver is unable to drive when the driving incapability state of the driver is detected.

8. The apparatus detecting driving incapability state of a driver according to claim 1 , wherein:
the driving incapability state of the driver includes a state in which the driver has a sudden illness.

9. The apparatus detecting driving incapability state of a driver according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a face direction detection portion that detects a direction of a face of the driver with respect to a forward direction of the vehicle based on the image of the driver's seat captured by the imaging device mounted on the vehicle; and
a direction collapse detection portion that detects the driver is incapable of driving when the direction of the face detected by the face direction detection portion is greater than a face direction threshold for a time longer than a direction collapse determination time during travel of the vehicle in a case where the shake detection portion does not detect the driver is incapable of driving.

10. The apparatus detecting driving incapability state of a driver according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a face direction detection portion that detects a direction of a face of the driver with respect to a forward direction of the vehicle based on the image of the driver's seat captured by the imaging device mounted on the vehicle; and
a direction collapse detection portion that detects the driver is incapable of driving when the direction of the face detected by the face direction detection portion is greater than a face direction threshold and also the driver releases a steering wheel of the vehicle during travel of the vehicle in a case where the shake detection portion does not detect the driver is incapable of driving.

11. The apparatus detecting driving incapability state of a driver according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a face direction detection portion that detects a direction of a face of the driver with respect to a forward direction of the vehicle based on the image of the driver's seat captured by the imaging device mounted on the vehicle; and
a direction collapse detection portion that detects the driver is incapable of driving when the direction of the face detected by the face direction detection portion is greater than a face direction threshold and also an opening degree of an accelerator is larger than a predetermined opening degree, during travel of the vehicle in a case where the shake detection portion does not detect the driver is incapable of driving.

12. The apparatus detecting driving incapability state of a driver according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a face direction detection portion that detects a direction of a face of the driver with respect to a forward direction of the vehicle based on the image of the driver's seat captured by the imaging device mounted on the vehicle; and
a direction collapse detection portion that detects the driver is incapable of driving when the direction of the face detected by the face direction detection portion is greater than a face direction threshold and also an accelerator operation and a brake operation are not performed for a time longer than an operation determination time, during travel of the vehicle, in a case where the shake detection portion does not detect the driver is incapable of driving.

13. The apparatus detecting driving incapability state of the driver according to claim 10 , wherein:
the direction collapse detection portion detects the driver is incapable of driving on condition that the driver releases the steering wheel for a time longer than an operation determination time.

14. The apparatus detecting driving incapability state of the driver according to claim 11 , wherein:
the direction collapse detection portion detects the driver is incapable of driving on condition that the opening degree of the accelerator is larger than the predetermined opening degree for a time longer than the operation determination time.

15. The apparatus detecting driving incapability state of the driver according to claim 10 , wherein:
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Assignees

• Denso Corp

Inventors

• Banno Hiroto
• Yamataka Minori
• Munaoka Yutaka
• Enya Takeshi
• Omi Takuhiro

Classifications

• G16H50/70

  for mining of medical data, e.g. analysing previous cases of other patients · CPC title

• B60W2040/0818

  Inactivity or incapacity of driver · CPC title

• A61B5/1114

  Tracking parts of the body · CPC title

• B60W30/08

  Active safety systems} predicting or avoiding probable or impending collision {or attempting to minimise its consequences · CPC title

• A61B5/1122

  of movement trajectories · CPC title