Volvo is currently testing a device called Driver Alert that aims to counter the problem of driver fatigue, reports Channel 4 website in the UK.
Sleepiness at the wheel is thought to account for at least 10% of all road accidents and 20% of accidents on motorways, claiming more lives than drink-driving.
The same website reported back in January 2005 of a similar system being developed by Saab:
Saab has released details of its new safety system which detects if a driver is nodding off at the wheel. A number of manufacturers have been working on such systems, but Saab could be one of the earliest to put theirs into production.
It incorporates two miniature cameras with infra-red lenses which monitor the driver's eye and head movements; if they stray from the 'straight-ahead' position for more than two seconds, a buzzer sounds, and if they continue to fail to respond, a brake pulse will be delivered through the ESP system.
The system can apparently determine also whether the driver is looking in the rear-view mirror or round a corner, so will not sound a warning, and it can also distinguish between city driving and faster highways.
The software could also be used to determine automatic optimum settings for driver's seat position, steering wheel and mirrors, or to decide the best speed for airbag deployment in the event of an impact.
Saab's ergonomics chief Arne Nabo said this week: "The system is functioning extremely well in our testing. And there is no problem with the hardware, which is reliable and relatively inexpensive. We are now concentrating on fine-tuning the timing and nature of the final warning alarm."
Volvo's system is a little different from those being tested by other manufacturers, such as Saab's, which monitors drivers' eye and head movements. It uses a camera mounted between the windscreen and rear-view mirrors that monitors the distance between the car and the road markings, detecting if, for example, the car is drifting out of lane or moving in an uncontrolled way; it then sounds an alarm and displays a message on the control panel.
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