Member Info for johnchucka

SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR EYE-GAZE DIRECTION-BASED PRE-TRAINING OF NEURAL NETWORKS

A method of training a disparity estimation network. The method includes obtaining an eye-gaze dataset having first images with at least one gaze direction associated with each of the first images. A gaze prediction neural network is trained based on the eye-gaze dataset to develop a model trained to provide a gaze prediction for an external image. A depth database is obtained that includes second images having depth information associated with each of the second images. A disparity estimation neural network for object detection is trained based on an output from the gaze prediction neural network and an output from the depth database.

https://worldwide.espacenet.com/publicationDetails/biblio?II=4&ND=3&adjacent=true&locale=en_EP&FT=D&date=20240502&CC=US&NR=2024143074A1&KC=A1

https://www.freepatentsonline.com/20240143074.pdf

ADAPTIVE AUDIO SYSTEM FOR OCCUPANT AWARE VEHICLES

In general, this disclosure describes various aspects of the techniques directed to an adaptive audio system for occupant aware vehicles. A device configured to reproduce a soundfield based on audio data within a vehicle may implement the techniques. The device may comprise a memory configured to store the audio data, and processing circuitry coupled to the memory. The processing circuitry may be configured to obtain, from an occupant monitoring system, a state of an occupant residing within a cabin of the vehicle, modify, based on the state of the occupant residing within the cabin of the vehicle, playback of the audio data within at least a portion of the cabin of the vehicle to obtain modified playback data for the audio data, and reproduce, based on the modified playback data, the soundfield.

https://worldwide.espacenet.com/publicationDetails/biblio?II=9&ND=3&adjacent=true&locale=en_EP&FT=D&date=20240425&CC=US&NR=2024137700A1&KC=A1

https://www.freepatentsonline.com/20240137700.pdf

Https://twitter.com/i/status/1783342432731513272

https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/new-cars/xiaomi-su7

VEHICULAR DRIVER MONITORING SYSTEM

A vehicular driver monitoring system includes a camera disposed at an interior rearview mirror assembly within a cabin of a vehicle and viewing a driver operating of the vehicle. Image data captured by the camera is transferred to and is processed at an electronic control unit (ECU). The vehicular driver monitoring system, via processing at the ECU of image data captured by the camera, determines posture of the driver operating the vehicle. The vehicular driver monitoring system, based at least in part on a comparison between the determined posture of the driver and a proper posture stored in memory, determines improper posture of the driver. The proper posture stored in memory is determined based at least in part on a determined head position of the driver relative to the interior rearview mirror assembly of the vehicle.

https://worldwide.espacenet.com/publicationDetails/biblio?II=2&ND=3&adjacent=true&locale=en_EP&FT=D&date=20240418&CC=US&NR=2024124014A1&KC=A1

https://www.freepatentsonline.com/20240124014.pdf

SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CONVERTING DRIVING CONTROL RIGHTS IN AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES

An automated driving system of a vehicle includes a driver monitoring unit configured to perform at least one of monitoring a gaze of a driver and determining a position of a hand of the driver, an automated-driving-level switching unit configured to determine whether a transition of a driving control over the vehicle is required based on whether driving environment of the vehicle has changed during the vehicle being driven under control of the automated driving system, and determine an automated driving level to be switched based on a driver monitoring result obtained by the drive monitoring unit, and an automated driving control unit configured to control the vehicle according to the automated driving level.

https://worldwide.espacenet.com/publicationDetails/biblio?II=0&ND=3&adjacent=true&locale=en_EP&FT=D&date=20240418&CC=US&NR=2024124032A1&KC=A1

https://www.freepatentsonline.com/20240124032.pdf

Toyota reportedly to use Huawei's assisted driving solution in its global models

https://cnevpost.com/2024/04/07/toyota-to-use-huawei-assisted-driving-in-global-models-report/#:~:text=Toyota%27s%20global%20models%20will%20use%20a%20solution%20jointly,report%20today%2C%20citing%20people%20familiar%20with%20the%20matter.

VEHICULAR DRIVER MONITORING SYSTEM WITH HEALTH MONITORING

A vehicular driver monitoring system includes a camera that views the driver of a vehicle. The vehicular driver monitoring system accesses a driver profile associated with the driver that includes status of a health parameter of the driver. The vehicular driver monitoring system, responsive at least in part to processing at an electronic control unit (ECU) of image data captured by the camera, determines a current status of the health parameter of the driver. The driver profile associated with the driver includes at least one previously determined status of the health parameter of the driver. The vehicular driver monitoring system determines a health rating of the driver based on a comparison of (i) the determined current status of the health parameter of the driver and (ii) the at least one previously determined status of the health parameter of the driver.

https://worldwide.espacenet.com/publicationDetails/biblio?II=6&ND=3&adjacent=true&locale=en_EP&FT=D&date=20240404&CC=US&NR=2024112337A1&KC=A1

https://www.freepatentsonline.com/20240112337.pdf

https://patents.justia.com/patent/20240112337

Looks like the planned 2035 EU ban of combustion engines - always based on unscientific propaganda - will be revoked.

It emerges it was merely a trick of the US trade war against Germany & China, eagerly implemented by spineless German vassal politicians submitting to US dictats @Richard Werner.

The end of the combustion engine is threatened:

Resounding defeat for Ursula von der Leyen

This is a medium sensation and gives hope in the fight against #Klimawahn :

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen ( #NoCDU ) apparently has to reverse the ban on combustion engines that she has been pushing forward with vigor.

The reason: According to a new EU study, electric cars have a significantly worse CO ₂ balance than standard gasoline and diesel combustion engines. The management of the major German car manufacturers BMW, Mercedes, VW and Co., who had unilaterally committed to electromobility at an early stage, now stand as watered poodles.

Now, as the Austrian Kronen-Zeitung points out, it looks as if the ban on combustion engines imposed by the EU will be quietly buried by 2035. This is indicated by a legislative initiative by the EU Commission itself, which involves a proposal for the uniform recording of greenhouse gas emissions. The initiative should now go to the plenary session.

The crucial point here is that, unlike previous calculations, the greenhouse gas balance of electric cars will in future also have to take into account the emissions generated during their production - for example, how much coal-fired electricity is used in the energy-intensive production of electric vehicles. And suddenly electric cars are no longer doing well.

Commission President Ursula von der Leyen ( #NoCDU ) has apparently already withdrawn, even if the lifting of the combustion engine ban has not yet been officially confirmed. The Commission is now announcing technological openness as a new goal. “This is intended to ensure that there is openness to technologies and choices.” That would be a bitter defeat for the climate fanatics faction. So far they have focused on the end of combustion engine technology and the global triumph of electromobility. This could be over now.

Harald Schmidt (Dirty Harry) https://twitter.com/DirtyHarry_tv/status/1767515191313395795

Source: First!

Https://twitter.com/i/status/1764644662894100769

SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR DETECTION OF MOBILE DEVICE USE BY A VEHICLE DRIVER

Described herein is a method (1000) of detecting mobile device (400) use of a driver (102) of a vehicle (104). The method (1000) comprises the step (1001) of receiving a sequence of images of at least the driver's head captured from a camera (106, 420). At step (1002), the sequence of images are processed to determine visual attention of the driver (102) based on detected head and/or eye movements of the driver (102) over a period of time. At step (1003), mobile device use events are detected within the period of time in which a user interacts with the mobile device (400) that is located within the vehicle (104). At step (1004), a temporal correlation of the visual attention of the driver (102) with the mobile device use events is determined over the period of time. At step (1005), a determination is made that the driver (102) is using the mobile device (400) if the determined temporal correlation is greater than a threshold correlation coefficient.

https://worldwide.espacenet.com/publicationDetails/biblio?II=0&ND=3&adjacent=true&locale=en_EP&FT=D&date=20240229&CC=US&NR=2024071108A1&KC=A1

https://www.freepatentsonline.com/20240071108.pdf

2025 BMW Group #MINI #Countryman confirmed with #OS9 and #DMS located above the steering column. Based on module shape and illumination strategies, the assumption remains that this is a win for Seeing Machines possibly with either Garmin or LG Electronics Vehicle component Solutions as the tier-1. Have not seen this exact DMS integration configuration before.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CU5b8i0Wy1c

https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7169285293076893697/

APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR STEERING ADJUSTMENT

An apparatus for steering adjustment detects a gaze direction of a driver of a vehicle from a facial image in which a face of the driver is represented. During autonomous driving in which steering of the vehicle is autonomously controlled, when an operation by the driver on a steering wheel is detected, determines whether the gaze direction of the driver corresponds to the steering direction in the operation of the driver. The apparatus adjusts a reaction force with respect to the operation of the steering wheel smaller when the gaze direction corresponds to the steering direction than when the gaze direction does not correspond to the steering direction.

https://worldwide.espacenet.com/publicationDetails/biblio?II=4&ND=3&adjacent=true&locale=en_EP&FT=D&date=20240222&CC=US&NR=2024059269A1&KC=A1

https://www.freepatentsonline.com/20240059221.pdf

VEHICULAR DRIVER MONITORING SYSTEM WITH VIDEO-CALLING FUNCTION

A vehicular driver monitoring system includes a camera disposed at an interior rearview mirror assembly of a vehicle and viewing toward at least a front driver seat region of the vehicle. Attentiveness of the driver of the vehicle is at least in part determined via processing of captured image data. Captured image data is processed at an electronic control unit (ECU) for a video-calling application. A microphone is disposed within the interior cabin of the vehicle and captures audio speech data from within the interior cabin of the vehicle. The video-calling application, based at least in part on processing at the ECU of captured image data and on audio speech data captured by the microphone, enables video-calling wireless communication between an occupant of the vehicle and a party exterior of the vehicle.

https://worldwide.espacenet.com/publicationDetails/biblio?CC=US&NR=2024059221A1&KC=A1&FT=D&ND=3&date=20240222&DB=&locale=en_EP

https://www.freepatentsonline.com/20240059221.pdf

AUTO DIMMING MIRROR

Described herein is a rearview mirror (100) for a vehicle (102). The rearview mirror (100) comprises a body (104) mounted to the vehicle (102) and supporting an electrically controllable reflective device (108). A camera (110) is mounted to or adjacent to the body (104). The camera (110) comprises an image sensor having a pixel array adapted to capture two or three dimensional images of an interior of the vehicle (102), including a rear window (112), in both the visible and infrared wavelength range. A processor (124) is configured to process the captured images to generate a control signal for controlling a transmittance of the electrically controllable reflective device (108). The control signal is derived based on a comparison of pixel brightness between pixels within an interior vehicle cabin pixel region (150) and a rear window pixel region (152) in the captured images.

https://worldwide.espacenet.com/publicationDetails/biblio?II=0&ND=3&adjacent=true&locale=en_EP&FT=D&date=20240222&CC=US&NR=2024059220A1&KC=A1

https://www.freepatentsonline.com/20240059220.pdf

https://patents.justia.com/patent/20240059220

VEHICLE SENSING WITH BODY COUPLED COMMUNICATION

A vehicle can include a body coupled communication (BCC) sensor. A computer in the vehicle can detect that an occupant of a vehicle is touching a screen of a user device, based on a signal from the BCC sensor. Further, it can be determined whether the occupant is in the position of the vehicle operator. Upon determining that the occupant is in the position of the vehicle operator, a gaze direction of the occupant of the vehicle can be determined while the occupant is touching the screen. A prediction can then be output that occupant attention is directed to the screen based on the gaze direction and the signal from the BCC sensor.

https://worldwide.espacenet.com/publicationDetails/biblio?II=1&ND=3&adjacent=true&locale=en_EP&FT=D&date=20240215&CC=US&NR=2024051545A1&KC=A1

https://www.freepatentsonline.com/20240051545.pdf

VEHICULAR VISION SYSTEM WITH DRIVER MONITORING CAMERA AT INTERIOR REARVIEW MIRROR ASSEMBLY

A vehicular vision system includes an interior rearview mirror assembly having a mirror head adjustable about a mounting base configured to attach at an interior portion of a vehicle. A driver monitoring camera is accommodated by the mirror head and moves in tandem with the mirror head when the mirror head is adjusted relative to the mounting base to adjust a driver's rearward view. At least one near infrared light emitter is accommodated by the mirror head and is operable to emit near infrared light toward a head region of the driver of the vehicle. Image data captured by the driver monitoring camera is processed to determine driver attentiveness and/or driver drowsiness. The vehicular vision system may adjust processing of the captured image data to accommodate adjustment of the mirror head when the driver adjusts the mirror head to adjust his or her rearward view.

https://worldwide.espacenet.com/publicationDetails/biblio?CC=US&NR=2024042930A1&KC=A1&FT=D&ND=3&date=20240208&DB=&locale=en_EP

https://www.freepatentsonline.com/20240042930.pdf

VEHICULAR VISION SYSTEM

A vehicular vision system includes a video display screen disposed behind a transflective mirror reflector of an electrochromic mirror reflective element of an interior rearview mirror assembly. Image data captured by a rearward-viewing camera is provided to the mirror assembly as digital signals carried by a coaxial cable. Electronic circuitry of the mirror assembly includes (i) auto dimming circuitry and (ii) video processing circuitry. The video display screen (i) displays at a left display region video images derived from captured image data to display a scene occurring in a left side lane, (ii) displays at a right display region video images derived from captured image data to display a scene occurring in a right side lane and (iii) displays at a middle display region video images derived from captured image data to display a scene occurring rearward of the vehicle in the lane the equipped vehicle is travelling in.

https://worldwide.espacenet.com/publicationDetails/description?CC=US&NR=2024042933A1&KC=A1&FT=D&ND=3&date=20240208&DB=&locale=en_EP

https://www.freepatentsonline.com/20240042933.pdf

LOW LIGHT GAZE DETECTION IN A VEHICLE ENVIRONMENT

Image analysis is used for low light gaze detection in a vehicle environment. An infrared (IR) light source is sent toward an individual within a vehicular environment. IR light reflections are received from the individual by at least one video camera. At least one eye of the individual is obscured by a semitransparent material. Low accuracy tracking of the individual is evaluated using the IR light reflections through the semitransparent material. A signal-to-noise ratio for a sequence of video image frames is enhanced using the IR light reflections of the individual through the semitransparent material. Enhancing enables detection of feature points in an eye region for the individual. Eye location for the individual is determined based on results of the enhancing a signal-to-noise ratio. Real-time gaze direction of a pupil is derived for the at least one eye. The deriving is based on the determining the eye location.

https://worldwide.espacenet.com/publicationDetails/biblio?II=3&ND=3&adjacent=true&locale=en_EP&FT=D&date=20240208&CC=US&NR=2024046506A1&KC=A1

https://www.freepatentsonline.com/20240046506.pdf

Seeing Machines has published its latest quarterly #KPIs covering Oct. to Dec. and CY23. For CY23, production totaled 815K vehicles (CY22:457K) and total cars on road has increased to over 1.5 million. Production in the quarter was 208K. 2023 is now in the rear-view mirror (RVM), but 2024 is all about the #RVM. Research at CES confirmed the Magna International #occupant #monitoring #mirror would reach start-of-production (SoP) at the end of January, so SoP has begun. Magna is so confident of the product that it has a next generation design coming (I'll comment more after Magna has).

2024 closes the door on 1MP NFOV #DMS and opens the door to 5MP WFOV DMS and #OMS sited in the mirror. The RVM is all about Magna and Gentex Corporation, so the race is now between the two to win awards. The assumption is the Dec. 21 contract award for Seeing Machines is for the RVM in the Volkswagen Group #MQBEvo platform (including #Golf Mk8.5), and the Dec. 22 contract is the VW ID. #EV platform. It follows Magna can get the mirror from design award to SoP in 24 months, and maybe even in about 12. With timescales for #GSR compliance now incredibly tight, that advantage will prove extremely significant.

The slow ramp-up of DMS across all suppliers reflects the challenges of integrating the optical path and vision processor into a vehicle interior. The RVM overcomes all of these problems, and the VW volumes look set to be substantial. The May KPIs will include 2 months of production of the Magna mirror, and the August KPIs the full 3 months, meaning the release of those results will likely get a lot of folks to pay close attention.

Research at CES also suggests some suppliers have doubts that Euro NCAP - For Safer Cars, Vans & Trucks #DSM compliance is even possible from the RVM. Magna told me that it is, and irrefutable proof will be the first VW models with the occupant monitoring mirror going through #NCAP testing in the coming months. The Magna RVM has already caused a number of #OEMs to completely rethink their DMS/OMS plans, and if it scores the full 2 points with NCAP, expect multiple design awards on the basis of the evidence.

GSR compliance also applies to vans, trucks, buses, and coaches. Also in the release today is a comment that Seeing Machines is: “looking forward to our official, customer-facing #Guardian Generation 3 launch at GEOTAB Connect.” It follows that #fleet news is coming related to that event next week, with the official launch of Gen3. Again, as new trucks fitted with Gen3 are scored by NCAP, the results will become a self-reinforcing trend.

Seeing Machines has declared a path to profitability, and industry developments in the next 3 months look likely to decide that.

CARELESS DRIVING DETERMINATION APPARATUS AND CARELESS DRIVING DETERMINATION METHOD

This paper discloses a careless driving determination apparatus. The careless driving determination apparatus captures a plurality of face images of a driver of a vehicle in a predetermined period using a driver monitor camera. Then, it determines whether each of the plurality of face images shows first status in which the driver wears a wearing object or second status in which the driver does not wear the wearing object, the wearing object covering a part of a face of the driver. Then, it calculates a distribution range of angles of face directions or angles of gaze directions of the driver. Then, it sets a threshold range based on ratio of face images that show the first status and ratio of face images that show the second status. Then, it determines that the driver is in a careless driving state when the distribution range is included in the threshold range.

https://worldwide.espacenet.com/publicationDetails/biblio?II=2&ND=3&adjacent=true&locale=en_EP&FT=D&date=20240125&CC=US&NR=2024029453A1&KC=A1

https://patents.justia.com/patent/20240029453

https://www.freepatentsonline.com/20240029453.pdf