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Detection Methods For A Low-Cost Accelerometer-Based Approach For Driver Drowsiness Detection
Detection Methods For A Low-Cost Accelerometer-Based Approach For Driver Drowsiness Detection
Abstract—Thousands of accidents and fatalities occur each for monitoring drowsiness that is practical for daily commuter
year due to drowsy and fatigued drivers who choose to operate use.
motor vehicles despite their reduced level of alertness. Actively
monitoring Steering Wheel Movements (SWM) has been an Researchers have proposed many methods for the
important and well documented method for the detection of detection of drowsy and fatigued driving. One proposed
drowsy driving. Despite the efficacy of the SWM method, it has method is by monitoring Steering Wheel Movements (SWM).
yet to be widely deployed widely on motor vehicles as a practical Research has determined that SWM is both an effective and
means for individual early detection due to the cost prohibitive unobtrusive method for the detection of driver drowsiness
nature of current methods as well as complexity of installation [7,8]. Researchers have consistently reported a correlation
and implementation. Due to these limitations, potentially between a driver’s frequency of steering adjustments and their
lifesaving methods based on SWM monitoring have not been level of drowsiness [9, 10]. Not only does the regularity of
widely implemented. This paper assesses the efficacy of a SWM input decrease in drowsy drivers, but when SWM inputs
proposed low-cost accelerometer-based method of SWM do occur they are large and sudden [8,11]. Researchers also
monitoring by extracting various SWM parameters and using the observed that SWM inputs in fatigued drivers have fewer
extracted data to train machine learning algorithms. micro-corrections and more macro-corrections, with sleeping
Experimental results suggest that the use of adequately trained drivers making no corrections [12,13,14]. It has been
Support Vector Machines with Accelerometer-based SWM can demonstrated that the majority of sampled drivers show an
be a valuable tool in the detection of drowsy driving and the
increasing trend towards faster and larger steering corrections
reduction in death and injuries.
as they become drowsy [8].
Keywords—drowsiness; drowsy driving; accidents; road Electroencephalography (EEG) involves recording signals
safety; highway safety from the human scalp and translating them into states of
cognition. Being able to detect signals directly from the brain
I. INTRODUCTION is the most important physiological indicator of the central
nervous system activation and alertness [15]. Having prior
It has been estimated by the National Highway Traffic knowledge of the characteristics of EEG signals and what they
Safety Administration (NHTSA) that drowsy and fatigued represent in terms of drowsiness, it is possible to monitor a
drivers are responsible for about 1,200 deaths and 76,000 driver and interpret the EEG data into a conclusive state of
injuries each year [1]. Sleep deprived drivers who choose to alertness. The human brain gives off a series of EEG
operate motor vehicles contribute to drowsy driving [2]. Other frequencies including theta waves, and alpha waves [16].
drivers were initially alert but due to prolonged driving, their Theta waves indicate slow sleep. Alpha wave activity (8-13
awareness deteriorated with time [3]. Research has shown that Hz) actually increases during periods of drowsiness while
prolonging wakefulness is just as dangerous to driver safety as theta waves (4-8 Hz) increase as during sleepy episodes.
alcohol intoxication [4]. Fourteen point five percent 14.5% of
respondents polled in Ontario Canada admitted to having Another indicator of drowsiness that has been used by
fallen asleep or nodded off while driving [5]. researchers are eyelid closures. Eyelid closures are a physical
change that can be used as an indicator of the onset of
Clinicians have used several methods such as the drowsiness. Not only is eyelid closure seen as an important
Maintenance of Wakefulness Test (MWT) for detecting indicator of drowsiness, but the duration of the closure
unintentional sleep onset and drowsiness [6]. The MWT and suggests the degree of fatigue. Closures lasting for more than
other similar tests are valid predictors of unintentional sleep half a second are especially strong indicators of sleepiness
onset, however they cannot be ported onto the roads and [17]. The percent of eyelid closure (PERCLOS) over a time
highways where the fatalities are occurring. Consequently, it interval has also been used as a method to detect drowsiness
is necessary to have a cost-effective and unobtrusive method [18].
II. MATERIAL AND METHOD The full method for accelerometer-based SWM detection
is described in a previous article [20]. The most important
A. Driving Tasks equation however relates the static acceleration due to gravity
measured across the accelerometer’s x-axis ( ) with that
Four participants were recruited to perform driving tasks in
measured across the y-axis ( ) according to:
a vehicle simulator setting. A steering wheel and automatic
transmission pedals were provided to the participants. The
participants were instructed to maintain a straight course of
travel in the center of the road without exiting the road as (1)
indicated by white markings on either side of the road. It was
impossible for participants to maintain a straight course on the
road center without making road exit events unless constant where was the SWM angle being estimated.
routine SWM inputs were made to maintain the course.
Participants were asked to perform 45 minutes of driving 4 The significance of the accelerometer-based method was
times for a total driving period of 180 minutes. its ability to non-intrusively monitor driver drowsiness in a
cost-effective and easy to implement manner. The two
unanswered questions remaining from the prior study were
how effective the method would be in the presence of low
frequency noise which would defeat a low pass filter, and how
effective the method would be when it is actively used for
drowsiness detection. This current paper addresses the second
question by investigating the efficacy of the method for
accurate drowsiness detection when fused with physiological
training data and when used independently.
The accelerometer-based method for SWM detection as
described in the prior study does not by itself interpret
drowsiness data. The current study demonstrates an
assessment of how the data from the accelerometer-based
approach can be correlated to individual levels of driver
drowsiness.
III. RESULTS
Fig. 1. Drowsy SWM (above) is more sudden and of higher amplitudes than
alert SWM (below)
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