Driver Alertness Based on Eye Blinking and Bio-signals

Drowsiness is the major issue for road accidents and it may lead to severe physical injuries, deaths and significant economic losses. The statistics indicate the need of a reliable driver drowsiness detection system which could alert the driver before a mishappening occurs. The real time drowsiness detection system using sensors will solve these consequences. The drowsiness can be detected by various features like eye blinking rate, and pulse rate. The eye movements can be monitored using eye blink sensor and pulse rate can be monitored using PPG(photoplethysmograph) sensor. The eye blink sensor to be placed on the side of the spectacles or at the steering wheel and drowsiness can be detected with the help of infrared illuminator. The PPG sensor detects the pulse rate of the driver which calculates the heart rate variability(HRV) which is placed on the steering wheel or can be wear as wrist watch. The sensors detects when any abnormal condition occurs and the vibrational sensors are used to awake the driver if he seemed fatigue. A warning signal is provided to alert the driver. We conclude that by designing a drowsiness detection system that combines non-intrusive physiological measures with other measures would accurately determine the drowsiness level of a driver. A number of road accidents might then be avoided if an alert is given to a driver who seemed drowsy.