UNOBSTRUSIVE DRIVER EYE MONITORING SYSTEM (UDEMS)

THIS PROPOSAL CONCERNS THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN UNOBTRUSIVE DRIVE EYE MONITORING SYSTEM (UDEMS). AN UNOBTRUSIVE EYEBALL/EYELID MOVEMENT SENSOR HAS ALREADY BEEN DEVELOPED THAT AMOUNTS TO THREE ELECTRODES MOUNTED IN A HEADBAND. THE ELECTRODES NEED NO PREPARATION, AND THE SENSOR PROVIDES STRONG, RELAIBLE EYE MOVEMENT WAVEFORMS ALMOST IMMEDIATELY UPON DONNING THE DEVICE AND ACTIVATING THE ELECTRONICS. WE PROPOSE HERE TO WORK TOWARDS THREE PHASE I OBJECTIVES: 1) CONDUCT DRIVING SIMULATION TESTS THAT WILL ESTABLISH THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN EYE MOVEMENT SENSOR OUTPUT AND RIVER DROWSINESS AND INATTENTION DURING LONG DRIVES; 2) OPTIMIZE SENSOR OUTPUT SIGNAL PROCESSING AND CRITERIA FOR DETECTING DROWSINESS AND INATTENTION; AND 3) CONDUCT PRELIMINARY VALIDATION TESTS WITH AN OPTIMIZED UDEMS AND ALARM/WARNING SYSTEM TO DETERMINE THE FEASIBILITY OF MAINTAINING DRIVER ALERTNESS OR ENCOURAGING REST BREAKS. GIVEN A SUCCESSFUL OUTCOME, THE UDEMS COULD OPERATE AS A STAND ALONE DEVICE, OR COULD WORK COOPERATIVELY WITH VEHICLE BASED SYSTEMS THAT MONITOR DRIVER PERFORMANCE PARAMETERS ASSOCITED WITH DROWSINESS SUCH AS STEERING MOVEMENTS AND LATERAL LANE DEVIATIONS.