A driver monitoring system or sometimes called a driver state sensing system (DSS) is a part of an advanced safety feature with regard to self-driving cars. This feature uses a camera mounted on the dashboard of a car, and the camera constantly tracks the driver’s level of drowsiness, sleepiness, or even distraction. Not only that, the system also issues a warning, whenever that happens, so that the driver can shift their attention back to driving properly.
The Driver monitoring systems are expected to be implemented in every smart car, especially because of the regulatory and rating agency requirements. For example, the European Union has made DMS mandatory for all new vehicles starting in 2024. Given that the DMS will be the future of cars, it is no wonder that every company that is looking to invest in self-driving cars or smart cars, is rushing to get their own technology for DMS patented. The same goes for Huawei.
Earlier this year the Chinese tech giant has announced its smart car joint venture with the companies CATL, and Changan Automobile, As part of this initiative the companies have created the high-end smart car, and it is currently gearing up to launch its first car model called the AVATR E11 later in November.
Interestingly, the company Huawei has also filed a patent for “face image processing method, device and tool”. The filed patent bears the number CN1113632098A. This patented application can apparently perform 3D face reconstruction in cases where the face is partially blocked.
This technology will sure come in handy when the face of the driver is partially blocked for whatever reason, but it still can detect whether the driver is experiencing drowsiness or if the driver is distracted. The exact mechanism of this technology is yet to be explained.
