Member Info for johnchucka

we have seen more of the post-apple future of general motors, with the appointment of former apple exec michael abbott to lead a #software unit for gm. "i know that software is the catalyst for redefining experiences for consumers and enterprises like never before," said abbott. right on.

every #automaker has access to the same #technology building blocks, but it is software that will differentiate the #winners from the #losers. the winning #strategy is summed up in steve's law, named after steve jobs, who said: “you’ve got to start with the customer experience and work backwards to the technology.”

the tech building blocks are primarily qualcomm #socs and google #android automotive #os, with #5g #connectivity and #cloud #compute to bring data into the vehicle. the #****pit is the home of the coming revolution in the auto sector, not "self-driving." oems need to rethink the vehicle as an #entertainment hub, #productivity tool, #communications device, and something to drive.

the customer experience is born in the human-vehicle interface #hvi. that's where the #innovation will happen, and winning automakers must focus there. eye-gaze, gesture and voice are the means through which the driver interacts with the vehicle, and an #ar #hud spanning the entire windshield safely closes the loop in the control system.

robust, high-fidelity eye tracking provides the foundation for revolutionary products and services on which new business models are built. #humanfactors research is vital to measure driver state using glance pattern analysis to monitor driver cognitive load and keep the ****pit experience safe. #oems must get their eye tracking strategy right, not relegate the function to #gsr #ncap minimum features. remember: buy cheap, buy twice.

bmw group looks to be in a league of its own with the concept i vision dee, and we'll see more in the 2025 #neueklasse. let's call it "the ultimate driving experience." gm is innovating in the ****pit, just as it did with development of its in-house #ultracruise driving stack. it is likely in second place behind bmw. full credit to mary barra here.

mercedes-benz ag is too focused on technology and is taking the concept of a "smartphone-on-wheels" literally. ford motor company is advised to stop throwing shade at gm for dropping carplay and communicate a coherent ****pit strategy of its own.

most intriguing is the steady drain of talent from apple to the automakers. michael abbott is the latest, doug field left for ford several years ago.

why? qualcomm and google designed the tech building blocks to enable the oems to slice apple out of the vehicle. the talent drain itself signals the coming trend for the whole automotive industry: from apple to the automakers.

https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7062021671758503936/

https://www.cnbc.com/2023/05/09/gm-hires-ex-apple-exec-mike-abbott-to-lead-new-software-unit.html

10 out of 10 points for Ford Motor Company, Veoneer and Seeing Machines for the #DMS in #BlueCruise. “Knowing the physical state of the driver, at all times, is one of the most important #safety factors in #assisted and #automated #driving today,” said Thomas Herbert, Product Director at Veoneer.

#Humanfactors research is critical to develop safety #technology which sees and understands human behavior as it applies to crash risk. Consumer Reports

VEONEER

Consumer report gives Veoneer’s Driver Monitoring System 10 out of 10 points in their recent test and comments: “...has an adequate camera-based Direct Driver Monitoring System (DDMS) that works anytime the ADA is active. When operating on pre-mapped highways that allow for hands-free operation, the system prompts the driver in advance of risky scenarios, such as lane merges or curves, to place their hands back on the wheel. This encourages drivers to stay prepared to steer if needed and doesn’t turn the system off if they do.”

Veoneer strongly believe that Collaborative Driving, where the human driver is interacting with intelligent technology, is the path to increased safety, and that adequate camera-based Driver Monitoring Systems ensures the driver is awake and attentive to the driving task at all times. “Knowing the physical state of the driver, at all times, is one of the most important safety factors in assisted and automated driving today,” said Tom Herbert, Product Director at Veoneer.

https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7061374838132613120/

PERSONALIZATION SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR A VEHICLE BASED ON SPATIAL LOCATIONS OF OCCUPANTS' BODY PORTIONS

A personalization system for a vehicle includes an image-capture device configured to capture a plurality of images of one or more occupants in the vehicle and control circuitry configured to estimate a plurality of Z-heights of a plurality of body portions of each of the one or more occupants from a reference position in the vehicle, based on the plurality of images captured from the image-capture device, determine an associative relationship between the plurality of Z-heights of the plurality of body portions of each of the one or more occupants in the vehicle and a plurality of in-vehicle systems, based on defined user-preferences, and control the plurality of in-vehicle systems to direct an output from a corresponding in-vehicle system to a specific body portion of each of the one or more occupants in the vehicle, based on the estimated plurality of Z-heights and the determined associative relationship.

[0034] In accordance with an embodiment, the in-vehicle electronic device 114 may be configured to monitor, by use of the image-capture device 112, a plurality of defined metrics related to the driver, such as the first user 116A, of the vehicle 102. The plurality of defined metrics related to the driver of the vehicle 102 may include, but are not limited to a facial position, body language, a seating position, eye movement, body movement, health parameters, and a tone, or pitch of driver's voice. The in-vehicle electronic device 114 may detect a state of the driver of the vehicle 102 based on the analysis of the plurality of defined metrics. The in-vehicle electronic device 114 may be configured to utilize a machine learning system to detect if the driver is in normal state or in a distressed state when a sudden deviation in the plurality of defined metrics is detected. For example, based on historical data related to driver (such as the identified first user 116A), a baseline behavior, body language, seating position, eye movement, body movement, health parameters, and the tone, or pitch of driver's voice may be established as regular and tagged as normal. Thus, when a sudden deviation or anomaly in the plurality of defined metrics is detected, the in-vehicle electronic device 114 may generate and communicate a driver emergency alert signal to the vehicle audio system for output. The vehicle audio system may be activated and an audio alert, (e.g., “Are you OK, or shall I alert emergency services?”) may be outputted via one of the plurality of speakers of the vehicle audio system.

https://worldwide.espacenet.com/publicationDetails/biblio?CC=US&NR=2023110523A1&KC=A1&FT=D&ND=3&date=20230413&DB=&locale=en_EP

https://www.freepatentsonline.com/20230110523.pdf

Interior Sensing Systems - Seatbelts
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynYY5WTo6zo

VEONEER US INC [US] - 2022-12-15
SYSTEM AND METHOD TO DETECT PROPER SEATBELT USAGE AND DISTANCE
A system and method for detecting seatbelt positioning includes capturing, by a camera, a near infrared (NIR) image of an occupant, applying a median filter to the NIR image to remove glints; converting the NIR image to a black-and-white image, scanning across the black-and-white (B/W) image to detect a plurality of transitions between black and white segments corresponding to stripes extending lengthwise along a length of the seatbelt, and using detections of the plurality of transitions to indicate a detection of the seatbelt. Converting the NIR image to the black-and-white image may include using a localized binary threshold to determine whether a given pixel in the B/W image should be black or white based on whether a corresponding source pixel within the NIR image is brighter than an average of nearby pixels within a predetermined distance of the corresponding source pixel.
https://worldwide.espacenet.com/publicationDetails/biblio?CC=US&NR=2022398404A1&KC=A1&FT=D&ND=3&date=20221215&DB=&locale=en_EP
https://www.freepatentsonline.com/20220398404.pdf

INTERIOR REARVIEW MIRROR ASSEMBLY WITH DRIVER MONITORING SYSTEM
A vehicular interior rearview mirror assembly includes a mirror head having an interior mirror reflective element. The mirror reflective element has a mirror transflector that transmits near-IR light incident thereon, transmits visible light incident thereon and reflects visible light incident thereon. The mirror assembly includes a camera disposed within the mirror head and viewing through the mirror transflector. The camera includes an imaging sensor having a quantum efficiency (QE) of at least 15% for near-infrared (near-IR) light having a wavelength of 940 nm. The mirror assembly further includes first, second and third near-IR illumination sources disposed within the mirror head and operable to emit near-IR light that passes through the mirror transflector. The near-IR illumination sources are at respective angles relative to a planar front surface of the mirror reflective element and, when powered, illuminate respective in-cabin regions for a driver monitoring function or an occupant detection function.
https://worldwide.espacenet.com/publicationDetails/biblio?CC=US&NR=2023137004A1&KC=A1&FT=D&ND=3&date=20230504&DB=&locale=en_EP
https://www.freepatentsonline.com/20230137004.pdf

'Interesting liked by a systems engineer from Volvo'

Investors, Take Note: GM, Ford, And Volkswagen Are All Adopting Android Automotive

Nakul Duggal, senior automotive vice president, told Wired that car companies need to think of EVs as a truly digital product. Early digital chassis customers include Sony-Honda Mobility, Mercedes-Benz, GM, Cadillac, and Stellantis NV (STLA). BMW, Hyundai Motor Group, Nio, and Volvo have also expressed interest.

https://www. forbes.com/sites/jonmarkman/2023/04/24/investors-take-note-gm-ford-and-volkswagen-are-all-adopting-android-automotive/?sh=26315b2e4071

Abhilash Kumar
@Abhi_Banarasi
Qualcomm 1Q23: 1. Rev down -17% YoY 2. Handset down -17% YoY with 77% share driven by decreased demand. 3. Only Automotive grew in QCT with 20% YoY. Diversification is focus. Automotive to be the next big thing, I believe.

Seeing Machines has published its latest quarterly #KPIs for cars on road unit production. For the Jan-Mar 2023 quarter, it reported 173,802 units compared with 141,747 units the previous quarter. Smart Eye does not provide quarterly data, so no comparisons can be made.
2023 will be a pivotal year for both companies. Seeing Machines is assumed to supply the #driver #monitoring #system #DMS for BMW #iDrive versions 8/8.5/9, replacing BMW's Gen1 DMS which used Smart Eye #software. All BMW, MINI CARS and Rolls-Royce models will move to the new iDrive systems in time, giving a boost to the production numbers for Seeing Machines and a corresponding drag on the total for Smart Eye.
BMW Group delivered about 2.4 million BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce vehicles to customers worldwide in 2022, so this transition is hugely significant and will play out over the coming quarters. For now, Smart Eye is clearly ahead, with more than one million cars on the road featuring its DMS software.
The situation with BMW is a perfect demonstration of why "design-win" totals are meaningless. Both Seeing Machines and Smart Eye can legitimately count BMW wins in their totals, but only Seeing Machines will receive royalty payments from BMW in the near future. DMS suppliers will achieve profitability based on delivery, not PR strategies, and progress is conveyed to the analyst and investment community with the publication of hard data using metrics which cannot be gamed.
The padding of "design-win" totals with aftermarket wins, commercial vehicle wins and "up to" awards quickly served to render the metric useless. Quarterly cars on road unit production it is.
https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7059846502982021120/

Two patents in the search that describe 'controlled rest' for a flight crew;

Flight Crew Fatigue And Controlled Rest Management System
Publication number: 20220230522
Abstract: Described herein is a pilot monitoring system (100) including a camera (106) configured to capture a plurality of digital images of an aircraft (104) ****pit including one or both of a pilot (102) and a co-pilot (103) and a processor (114) configured to process the captured images. The images are processed to determine an alertness state of the pilot (102) and/or the co-pilot (103) during operation of the aircraft (104) based on detected facial features of the pilot (102) and/or co-pilot (103) in the images. Processor (114) receives information indicative of a current phase of flight of the aircraft and displays a visualisation of the alertness level and/or determines a suitability of a controlled rest period for the pilot (102) or co-pilot (103) based on the alertness state of the pilot and (102)/or the co-pilot (103) and the current phase of flight.
Type: Application
Filed: January 10, 2022
Publication date: July 21, 2022
Inventor: Rama MYERS (SEEING MACHINES)

SYSTEM AND METHOD TO ENHANCE IN-FLIGHT CONTROLLED REST FOR FLIGHT CREW
Publication number: 20230127393
Abstract: In one embodiment, a system to enhance in-flight controlled rest for a flight crew includes a pilot user interface, a co-pilot user interface, and a flight crew monitoring system. The flight crew monitoring system is configured to: (i) determine a physiological state of both a pilot and a co-pilot, (ii) selectively generate one or more alerts for the pilot and/or the co-pilot based on the determined physiological state, (iii) inhibit generating the one or more alerts for the pilot upon receipt of a first inhibit signal from the pilot user interface, (iv) inhibit generating the one or more alerts for the co-pilot upon receipt of a second inhibit signal from the co-pilot user interface, and (v) generate and store data indicating a time of day and a duration that the one or more alerts for the pilot or co-pilot, respectively, were inhibited.
Type: Application
Filed: October 26, 2021
Publication date: April 27, 2023
Applicant: HONEYWELL INTERNATIONAL INC.
Inventors: Stephane Marche, Ratan Khatwa, Dariia Averkova

SYSTEM AND METHOD TO ENHANCE IN-FLIGHT CONTROLLED REST FOR FLIGHT CREW
In one embodiment, a system to enhance in-flight controlled rest for a flight crew includes a pilot user interface, a co-pilot user interface, and a flight crew monitoring system. The flight crew monitoring system is configured to: (i) determine a physiological state of both a pilot and a co-pilot, (ii) selectively generate one or more alerts for the pilot and/or the co-pilot based on the determined physiological state, (iii) inhibit generating the one or more alerts for the pilot upon receipt of a first inhibit signal from the pilot user interface, (iv) inhibit generating the one or more alerts for the co-pilot upon receipt of a second inhibit signal from the co-pilot user interface, and (v) generate and store data indicating a time of day and a duration that the one or more alerts for the pilot or co-pilot, respectively, were inhibited.
https://patents.justia.com/patent/20230127393
https://worldwide.espacenet.com/publicationDetails/biblio?II=1&ND=3&adjacent=true&locale=en_EP&FT=D&date=20230427&CC=US&NR=2023127393A1&KC=A1
https://www.freepatentsonline.com/20230127393.pdf

Subject correction --TOYOTA RES INSTITUTE INC [US] - 2023-04-27

As previously alluded to, cognitive state detection and decision aid system 200 can be implemented as and/or include one or more components of one or more devices described herein. With respect to vehicles, circuit 210 can be implemented as an electronic control unit (ECU) or as part of an ECU of a vehicle. In other embodiments, cognitive state detection and response circuit 210 can be implemented independently of the ECU, for example, as another system 258 of the vehicle. Further, with respect to vehicle based devices, sensors 220, system elements 258, and cognitive state detection and response circuit 210 can be part of or include an automated vehicle system/advanced driver assistance system (ADAS). ADAS can provide navigation control signals (e.g. control signals to actuate the vehicle and/or operate one or more systems 258) for the vehicle to navigate a variety of situations. As used herein, ADAS can be an autonomous vehicle control system adapted for any level of vehicle control and/or driving autonomy. For example, the ADAS can be adapted for level 1, level 2, level 3, level 4, and/or level 5 autonomy (according to SAE standard). ADAS can allow for control mode blending (i.e. blending of autonomous and/or assisted control modes with human driver control). ADAS can correspond to a real-time machine perception system for vehicle actuation in a multi-vehicle environment. Continuing the example of a vehicle, controls systems 223 can include controls systems for an ADAS, such as steering controls, throttle/brake controls, transmission control, propulsion control, vehicle hardware interface controls, actuator controls, sensor fusion systems, risk assessment systems, computer vision systems, obstacle avoidance systems, path and planning systems as known in the vehicle arts.

In some embodiments, the cognitive state of the user can include that the user is in a non-agitated cognitive state (for example, only mildly upset, not angry, calm). For example, the user's heart rate may be calm, the user may be using happy, hopeful lexicography, their eye gaze does not wander, and contextually (e.g. via contextual and/or environmental sensors), the user is detected to be in a comfortable, and well-lit work environment, etc.) In some embodiments, the user may be detected to be in an agitated cognitive state (the user is angry, hot and sweaty, in an uncomfortable body position, with eyes darting, and a “scowling” facial expression, and speaking in angry tones). The cognitive state can include that the user is stressed, tired, alter, distracted, intoxicated, medicated, angry, and/or calm.

COGNITIVE LOAD PREDICTOR AND DECISION AID
Systems and methods are disclosed for receiving biometric sensor data and generating a first a signal based on one or more conversational prompts. Systems and methods disclosed herein generate a prediction of a cognitive state for a user based on the biometric sensor data, and generate a recommendation based on the predicted cognitive state for the user. Systems and methods disclosed herein can generate, for a user interface, an indication of the generated recommendation.

As alluded to above, decision making is made more difficult when an individual is cognitively or physically stressed. This difficulty can be exacerbated when an individual is presented with a large number of options, some of which may not be appropriate for their state (e.g. cognitive or emotional). Individuals are faced with multiple decisions throughout the day and can face decision fatigue which is compounded by multiple other cognitive and/or emotional stressors. The invention is designed to augment smart devices that present users with one or more options for the user, and tailor choice options and recommendations to the user's current cognitive state (e.g. cognitive load or stress). Aspects of the present disclosure can be executed at one or more smart (i.e. network-connected) devices, such as household devices (such as cleaning appliances, smart closets, kitchen appliances such as coffee machines, ovens, or refrigerators, lighting systems, doorbells, TVs, media devices, massage equipment, chairs or couches), industrial devices (e.g. robotic equipment, additive and/or subtractive manufacturing systems), design equipment, personal grooming or hygiene devices (e.g. pools, spas, toothbrush, styling devices, automatic nail painting, hair-cut, make-up devices), mobility devices (e.g. vehicles, scooters, bicycles), networking systems (e.g. transportation systems for selecting transportation, personal/friendship/workplace networking systems), commercial devices (such as vending machines, robotic kitchens, cake decorating machines), workplace devices (such as scheduling systems, collaborative work systems, space planning and/or design systems), and/or educational devices (such as lesson or training planning systems).
https://worldwide.espacenet.com/publicationDetails/biblio?II=3&ND=3&adjacent=true&locale=en_EP&FT=D&date=20230427&CC=US&NR=2023129746A1&KC=A1
https://www.freepatentsonline.com/20230129746.pdf
https://patents.justia.com/patent/20230129746

DRIVER MONITORING CAMERA
A driver monitoring camera comprises an optical sensor configured to take an image of a driver of a vehicle, an inclination sensor configured to determine an inclination of the driver monitoring camera with respect to a vehicle coordinate system and a processor configured to determine a pose of the driver in a driver monitoring camera coordinate system from the image and configured to transform the pose of the driver in the driver monitoring camera coordinate system to a pose of the driver in the vehicle coordinate system using the determined inclination.
https://worldwide.espacenet.com/publicationDetails/description?CC=US&NR=2023127266A1&KC=A1&FT=D&ND=3&date=20230427&DB=&locale=en_EP
https://www.freepatentsonline.com/20230127266.pdf

VEHICULAR DRIVER MONITORING SYSTEM WITH DRIVER MONITORING CAMERA AND NEAR IR LIGHT EMITTER AT INTERIOR REARVIEW MIRROR ASSEMBLY
A vehicular driver monitoring system includes an interior rearview mirror assembly having a driver monitoring camera and first and second near-infrared light emitting elements accommodated by a mirror head. The light emitting elements are oriented at the mirror head so that (i) a beam of light emitted by the first light emitting element would be directed toward a driver's region of a left hand drive vehicle if the mirror assembly were installed in the LHD vehicle, and (ii) a beam of light emitted by the second light emitting element would be directed toward a driver's region of a right hand drive vehicle if the mirror assembly were installed in the RHD vehicle. The system enables and/or operates the first or second light emitting element for a driver monitoring function responsive to indication that the mirror assembly is installed or will be installed in a LHD vehicle or a RHD vehicle.
https://worldwide.espacenet.com/publicationDetails/biblio?CC=US&NR=2023131471A1&KC=A1&FT=D&ND=3&date=20230427&DB=&locale=en_EP
https://www.freepatentsonline.com/20230131471.pdf

The decision by Ford Motor Company in 2018 to include highly sophisticated eye tracking to support its #BlueCruise hands-off driving function was prophetic and should rightly be celebrated. Events across the industry have subsequently shown the vital role #driver #monitoring #systems #DMS play in understanding human behavior as it applies to crash risk, and its role in preventing #automation complacency.

Ford's Gen1 DMS was developed by Veoneer and Seeing Machines and unexpectedly placed Ford alongside BMW Group for the accolade of most advanced DMS on the market. Oddly, April is National Distracted Driving Awareness Month, yet Ford is absent from leading the debate about the importance of eye tracking to mitigate #distraction and #drowsiness to make US roads safer.

General Motors was the first #automaker to partner with Seeing Machines for DMS, followed by Mercedes-Benz AG, then BMW for its Gen2 system which designed-out Smart Eye, followed by Ford.

GM, Mercedes and Ford have all lost focus on the opportunities provided by advanced DMS, by gaslighting themselves and each other that hands-off and eyes-off systems like #UltraCruise #DrivePilot and #LatitudeAI do anything to improve road safety. These are convenience systems, not #safety systems.

Meanwhile BMW went off in a totally different direction, establishing a deep technology collaboration with Qualcomm both for the #driving and #****pit functions, which will appear first in a production vehicle in the 2025 #NeueKlasse (probably the new 3-Series).

The future of the auto industry isn’t #selfdriving, but products and services in the ****pit accessed through #gesture #voice and #eyegaze control that support revenue generating business models.

Based on the information available, BMW is now in a league of its own in understanding the pivot from driving functions to ****pit functions with the concept i Vision Dee and the role that robust, high-fidelity eye tracking provides in making the digital ****pit both safe and immersive. No one else appears anywhere close.

It isn't just the road GM and Ford management have taken their eyes off. Don't say you weren't warned.
https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7057331877266739200/

https://uspto.report/TM/79367917

EFFICIENT VISION PERCEPTION
Systems and techniques are provided for vision perception processing. An example method can include determining an attention demand score or characteristic per region of a frame from a sequence of frames; generating attention votes per region of the frame based on the attention demand score or characteristic per region, the attention votes per region providing attention demands and/or attention requests; determining an attention score or characteristic per region of the frame based on a number of attention votes from one or more computer vision functions; based on the attention score or characteristic per region of the frame, selecting one or more regions of the frame for processing using a neural network; and detecting or tracking one or more objects in the one or more regions of the frame based on processing of the one or more regions using the neural network.
https://worldwide.espacenet.com/publicationDetails/biblio?II=10&ND=3&adjacent=true&locale=en_EP&FT=D&date=20230413&CC=US&NR=2023115371A1&KC=A1
https://www.freepatentsonline.com/20230115371.pdf
https://patents.justia.com/patent/20230115371

3D SENSING AND VISIBILITY ESTIMATION
Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for determining the visibility of query points using depth estimates generated by a neural network.
https://www.freepatentsonline.com/20230110391.pdf
https://worldwide.espacenet.com/publicationDetails/biblio?II=1&ND=3&adjacent=true&locale=en_EP&FT=D&date=20230413&CC=US&NR=2023110391A1&KC=A1
https://patents.justia.com/patent/20230110391

3D OBJECT DETECTION METHOD USING SYNERGY OF HETEROGENEOUS SENSORS FOR AUTONOMOUS DRIVING
A method for performing object detection during autonomous driving includes: performing 3D object detection in a 3D object detection segment; uploading an output of multiple sensors in communication with the 3D object detection segment to multiple point clouds; transferring point cloud data from the multiple point clouds to a Region Proposal Network (RPN); independently performing 2D object detection in a 2D object detector in parallel with the 3D object detection in the 3D object detection segment; and taking a given input image and simultaneously learning box coordinates and class label probabilities in a 2D object detection network operating to treat object detection as a regression problem.
https://worldwide.espacenet.com/publicationDetails/description?CC=US&NR=2023109712A1&KC=A1&FT=D&ND=3&date=20230413&DB=&locale=en_EP
https://www.freepatentsonline.com/20230109712.pdf

MI SCIENTIST - 3D COMPUTER VISION | CANBERRA, ACT
About this role:
Develop promising new technologies and tools in the field of 3D computer vision and deep learning to solve complex, unsolved problems. You will be expected to develop a deep and thorough understanding of the fundamental concepts, as well as, have the mastery over the dark-art of fine-tuning the hyperparameters typically required to take the algorithms to the next level.
Work with a team of embedded experts to deploy the algorithms on the target platform. This task will require you to develop expertise in network quantization and compression.
In addition, you will be required to actively participate in the advanced research activities of the group and supervise research interns that are funded by SM to work on Blue-Sky research projects.
https://seeingmachines.com/careers/