Method and device for detecting a tiredness and/or sleeping state of a driver of a vehicle

A device for recognizing a state of tiredness and/or state of sleep of a driver of a vehicle, comprising:

• a reading arrangement to read in a first eye opening signal and a second eye opening signal, the first eye opening signal representing a degree of eye opening and/or a signal derived therefrom of the left eye of the driver of the vehicle, and the second eye opening signal representing a degree of eye opening and/or a signal derived therefrom of the right eye of the driver of the vehicle;
• a recognizing arrangement to recognize a validity of the first and/or second eye opening signal to recognize the first eye opening signal as valid if the first eye opening signal corresponds to a first criterion and/or to recognize the second eye opening signal as valid if the second eye opening signal corresponds to a second criterion;
• and
• a determining arrangement to determine the state of tiredness and/or state of sleep of the driver of the vehicle using the first eye opening signal recognized as valid and/or the second eye opening signal recognized as valid;
• wherein the degree of eye opening includes a ratio of a lid closure of an eyelid of the eye, between a completely open lid and a completely closed lid, and
• wherein the eye opening signals represent a signal derived from a degree of eye opening, including at least one of an eye opening speed or an eye opening acceleration of the eye.

A non-transitory computer readable medium having a computer program, which is executable by a processor, comprising:

• a program code arrangement having program code for recognizing a state of tiredness and/or state of sleep of a driver of a vehicle, by performing the following:
• reading in a first eye opening signal and a second eye opening signal, the first eye opening signal representing a degree of eye opening and/or a signal derived therefrom of the left eye of the driver of the vehicle, and the second eye opening signal representing a degree of eye opening and/or a signal derived therefrom of the right eye of the driver of the vehicle;
• recognizing a validity of the first and/or second eye opening signal to recognize the first eye opening signal as valid if the first eye opening signal corresponds to a first criterion and/or to recognize the second eye opening signal as valid if the second eye opening signal corresponds to a second criterion;
• and
• determining the state of tiredness and/or state of sleep of the driver of the vehicle using the first eye opening signal recognized as valid and/or the second eye opening signal recognized as valid;
• wherein the degree of eye opening includes a ratio of a lid closure of an eyelid of the eye, between a completely open lid and a completely closed lid, and
• wherein the eye opening signals represent a signal derived from a degree of eye opening, including at least one of an eye opening speed or an eye opening acceleration of the eye.