METHOD AND DEVICE FOR DETECTING DROWSINESS AND PREVENTING A DRIVER OF A MOTOR VEHICLE FROM FALLING ASLEEP

摘要

The invention relates to a method and device using an optoelectronic sensor (10) in combination with an electronic unit (19), in accordance with French patent application no. 96.09420, filed on 26 July 1996 and International patent application (PCT) PCT/FR97/01354 filed on 22 July 1997, arranged inside the motor vehicle. The sensor is adjusted in line with the head of the driver sitting in said motor vehicle at the same time as the inner rear-view mirror, which comprises a one-way mirror (9) behind which the sensor (10) is positioned. After detecting the presence of a driver seated in the motor vehicle they frame first the whole face and then the eyes of the driver in the video signal raster emitted by the sensor (10) aided by the electronic unit (19) and then determine the successive durations of blinking episodes, which are compared with a limit value situated between one duration typical of an awake person and another duration typical of a drowsy person. A signal (transmitted by an alarm unit 22) suitable for waking the driver is triggered when the duration of blinking exceeds the limit.