Apparatus for determining the alertness of a driver

US6097295A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• Daimlerchrysler AG · US

Inventors

• Manfred Griesinger · Leonberg, DE
• Goetz Renner · Eßlingen, DE
• Walter Ziegler · Stuttgart, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Jan 28, 1999
• Grant date: Aug 1, 2000
• Expiry date: Jan 28, 2019

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G16H50/20
• WIPO field: Medical technology
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

An apparatus for determining the alertness of a person, especially a vehicle or machine operator, comprises an image pickup system for recording images of the area of at least one eye of the person, and an image evaluating system which evaluates the images detected by the image pickup system and contains means for detecting the shutting of an eye. The image evaluating system has means for determining pupil size and an evaluating apparatus which determines the alertness according to the eye closing state information obtained by the closed-eye detection means, and according to the pupil size information obtained by the pupil size determining means, with classification into one of at least three stages. The apparatus is used, for example, for determining the alertness of drivers of motor vehicles.