Gaze Fixation System for the Evaluation of Driver Distractions Induced by IVIS

Jiménez, Pedro; Bergasa, Luis M.; Nuevo, Jesús; Hernández, Noelia; García, Iván

Year: 2012

Type of Publication: Article

Keywords: Distraction monitoring; driver; gaze fixation; inattention; in-vehicle information systems; naturalistic simulator; percent road center

Journal: IEEE Transactions on Intelligent Transportation Systems

Volume: 13

Number: 3

Pages: 1167 - 1178

Month: march

ISSN: 1524-9050

DOI: 10.1109/TITS.2012.2187517

Abstract:

We present a method to monitor driver distraction based on a stereo camera to estimate the face pose and gaze of a driver in real time. A coarse eye direction is composed of face pose estimation to obtain the gaze and driver's fixation area in the scene, which is a parameter that gives much information about the distraction pattern of the driver. The system does not require any subject-specific calibration; it is robust to fast and wide head rotations and works under low-lighting conditions. The system provides some consistent statistics, which help psychologists to assess the driver distraction patterns under influence of different in-vehicle information systems (IVISs). These statistics are objective, as the drivers are not required to report their own distraction states. The proposed gaze fixation system has been tested on a set of challenging driving experiments directed by a team of psychologists in a naturalistic driving simulator. This simulator mimics conditions present in real driving, including weather changes, maneuvering, and distractions due to IVISs. Professional drivers participated in the tests.