Data acquisition software for Driver Monitoring System
According to the Administration on Aging, persons 65 years or older numbered 35.6 million in 2002. They represented 12.3% of the U.S. population and are expected to grow to be 20% of the population by 2030. In the last twenty years, the percentage increase in older drivers has been three times greater than the growth of the total driving population. The aging U.S. population generates considerable concern about driver safety, as crashes per mile driver are more frequent in older drivers compared to other age groups. However, while the concern for older drivers is age-related ocular and cognitive impairments that may compromise driving ability, removing the licensure to drive can result in loss of independence and function for an important segment of the population. As such, tests of driving skills need to be as objective and accurate as possible. Currently, states require re-licensure periodically and administer vision tests that have a variable relationship to risk of crashes. Failure can result in either suspension of licenses or, in some states, issuance of a restricted license. In addition, doctors will often require that a special driving assessment clinic review the fitness of a patient to drive. The Driving Assessment Clinic at Johns Hopkins University, for example, has an occupational therapist who reviews patients who have early cognitive impairment of their driving ability. This involves assessment of a person’s driving performance done by accompanying the driver. Such an approach requires a large commitment of time and resources, may not be objective if the presence of the observer changes driving behavior, and potentially places the observer at risk in extreme cases.Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab and the Wilmer Eye Institute have developed a stand-alone Driver Monitor System (DMS) that provides for an accurate read of driver competence without an observer being in the car. The DMS removes the requirement of an observer to be in the car, and thus can more objectively record driving behavior. By utilizing the DMS, the ability of a person to operate a vehicle is assessed by recording a data set that can allow the reviewer to determine the fitness of a person to drive by accessing metrics of driving behavior and observing video data. In addition to the DMS researchers have deleveoped a data acquisition software for the system. Upon powering on this software package automatically begins acquiring data sets that are saved to system hard drives every two minutes to prevent a significant loss of data in case of a sudden power loss. In addition to acquiring data, the software continually monitors the health or status of the instrumentation and illuminates a red warning LED on the end power cable that plugs into the cigarette lighter or power socket if an error is detected. The software also monitors the voltage level at the power source and has the capability of shutting down the DMS when the car is turned off, as well as operating the DMS on a battery backup to gracefully shut down in the event of a power loss.
Type of Offer: Licensing
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