Method and device for determining a reaction time of a vehicle driver

A device for determining a reaction time of a driver of a vehicle, the device comprising:

• a display device;
• a camera;
• and
• processing circuitry in communication with the camera and the display device, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to:
• control the display device to display at least one visual stimulus;
• process output of the camera to determine a direction of view of the driver;
• and
• determine a reaction time beginning at an initial display, in the displaying step, of the at least one visual stimulus, wherein the determining is performed according to conditions such that:
• the reaction time is determined to equal a predetermined time span if the direction of view of the driver is not recognized within the predetermined time span as being in the direction of the visual stimulus;
• and
• the reaction time is determined to be an actual recorded time span in which the direction of view of the driver is recognized as being in the direction of the visual stimulus if the recognition occurs within the predetermined time span, wherein the actual recorded time is a temporal difference between a first time corresponding to the initial display of the visual stimulus and a second time corresponding to when the direction of view of the driver is recognized as being in the direction of the visual stimulus, wherein:
• the processing circuitry determines a field of vision of the driver,
• a duration of the predetermined time span varies as a function of a position of the visual stimulus in the field of vision, and
• the duration is larger when the visual stimulus is in a peripheral area of the field of vision than when the visual stimulus is in a central area of the field of vision.

A safety method based on a reaction time of a driver of a vehicle, the method comprising:

• displaying, by a display device, at least one visual stimulus;
• processing, by processing circuitry, a sensor output to determine a direction of view of the driver;
• determining, by the processing circuitry and based on the determined direction of view, whether a driver reaction time, beginning at an initial display, in the displaying step, of the at least one visual stimulus, is less than a predetermined time span;
• performing a safety action when the determination in the determining step is that the driver reaction time is not less than the predetermined time span, wherein the driver reaction time is a temporal difference between a first time corresponding to an initial display of the visual stimulus and a second time corresponding to when the direction of view of the driver is determined as being in a direction of the visual stimulus;
• and
• determining a field of vision of the driver, wherein:
• a duration of the predetermined time span varies as a function of a position of the visual stimulus in the field of vision, and
• the duration is larger when the visual stimulus is in a peripheral area of the field of vision than when the visual stimulus is in a central area of the field of vision.