Most modern cars have an advanced driver-assistance system (ADAS) that perform tasks such as lane-keep assist, auto lane-change assist, adaptive cruise control, and driver-alertness monitoring. That last one uses eye trackers to determine the driver’s attentiveness and alertness.
In a filing with the European Patent Office, Mercedes-Benz outlines a system that uses existing ADAS technology to determine whether the driver has a visual impairment. In response, it can trigger the appropriate visual aids to draw the driver’s attention to their impairment and to possible hazards ahead they might not have seen.
Driver-Alertness Monitoring On A New Level
The system is distinguishable from a typical driver-alertness system by its added functionality. The eye tracker compares the driver’s line of sight and eye movements multiple times per second, comparing this data to the vehicle’s surroundings as detected by the external detection systems such as lidar and cameras. High-contrast outlines of other vehicles and obstacles are continually compared to the driver’s intended point of focus.
If the data suggests that a driver is not perceiving an obstacle due to their intended point of focus not lining up with the actual objects after repeated check cycles and data comparisons, it will be identified as a visual impairment. It can then trigger an alert to draw the driver’s attention to the impairment, and a visual alert of the obstacle on the vehicle’s displays. Mercedes-Benz’s system is unique in using existing ADAS tech to monitor not only fatigue and attentiveness, but also visual impairment.
Advantages
A system of this nature has several distinct advantages:
- Uses existing ADAS sensors and technology
- Can identify fatigue as well as a visual impairment
- Identifies more modes of driver impairment than a typical ADAS
- Can visually and audibly alert the driver of risks
Our Take
Though this system may appear similar to a regular driver-alertness monitoring system, its ability to compare intended focus points with actual eye movement can prove invaluable by, for example, detecting that a driver with myopia (nearsightedness) or hyperopia (farsightedness) has taken the wheel. The appropriate visual and audio alerts can improve road safety by helping the driver see hazards they might otherwise not have noticed.
