Invention: Sleepy driver sensor
Invention: Sleepy driver sensor
Around 20% of accidents on multi-lane highways are the result of driver fatigue. So the Japanese car maker Toyota has developed a system to rouse drivers before they quite literally drift off completely.
A camera watches the white lines on the road ahead to determine if and how fast the car is veering towards or away from them. An onboard computer then decides whether that kind of manoeuvre is appropriate for the situation. If it is deemed potentially dangerous, the system raises the alarm to wake the driver.
For example, a car regularly crossing white lines while accelerating and braking is likely to be simply driving in city traffic. But wobbling to and fro within a lane, or gradually veering across white lines while moving at a constant high speed may indicate a driver falling asleep on the open highway. If the driver is judged to be losing consciousness, the computer raises an alarm to wake the driver.
Similar systems to warn when white lines are crossed are already available in some cars, but this system should reduce the likelihood of false alarms. Not only can it stay quiet if there is a reason for the manoeuvres being performed, it can wake a driver before a line is actually crossed.
Read the full driver alertness sensor patent application.
