Abstract: A facial image photographic device for vehicle mounting includes a facial image photographic camera which photographs the face of a driver of a vehicle while the vehicle is running, and a changeover device. The changeover device changes over a utilization environment of the facial image photographic camera between a position in which, when performing photography, the facial image photographic camera can be exposed to direct insolation by sunlight, and a position in which, when not performing photography, at least a part of the facial image photographic camera is not to be exposed to direct insolation by sunlight than when performing photography.

Abstract: An image capturing section captures a face of an observed person. A position detecting section detects, from a face image expressing the face captured by the image capturing section, one of a position expressing a characteristic of a nose and a position expressing a characteristic of a region between eyebrows. A computing section computes a past relative position of a predetermined region of the face that is based on the position detected in the past by the position detecting section. A region position detecting section detects a position of the predetermined region on the basis of the past relative position computed by the computing section and the current position detected by the position detecting section.

Abstract: An eyelid detection apparatus includes a face-image storing apparatus for storing an image of a face of a subject, an eyelid-candidate extracting apparatus for processing the image stored in the face-image storing apparatus to extract a pair of lines, which becomes a candidate of a combination of a line corresponding to an upper eyelid and a line corresponding to a lower eyelid, a parameter calculating apparatus for calculating a parameter, which indicates a possibility that a pan of the image stored in The face-image storing apparatus, the part corresponding to the pair of lines extracted by the eyelid-candidate extracting apparatus, includes at least one of outer and inner corners of an eye, and an eyelid detecting apparatus for detecting a position of an eyelid of the subject on the basis of the parameter calculated by the parameter calculating apparatus.

Abstract: A face feature point detection apparatus includes an image capturing device, an edge calculating unit calculating edge values indicating a luminance change in a direction, and a detection target determining unit scanning an edge image, which is created by arranging the edge values for corresponding pixels based on pixel arrangement of the face images, with an image window being an aggregation of selected pixels formed in a predetermined shape, the detection target determining unit determining a position of the image window having a largest weighted sum of weighted sums to be a detection position where a detection target is present, providing that the weighted sum is calculated by multiplying the edge value which corresponds to each pixel in the image window by a predetermined value defined on a per-pixel basis and adding up all products of the edge value and the predetermined value.

Abstract: An eyelid detection apparatus includes edge image generating means for generating an edge image representing a magnitude of pixel value change per pixel in a predetermined direction in a region including an eye, based upon an image of the region; local peak value point searching means for searching a local peak value point, where the magnitude of pixel value change reaches a local peak value in the predetermined direction, in the edge image; and boundary point detecting means for detecting at least one of a first boundary point indicating a boundary between an upper eyelid and an eyeball and a second boundary point indicating a boundary between a lower eyelid and the eyeball, based upon a point which is shifted from the local peak value point in a direction towards the eyeball.

Abstract: An eyelid detection apparatus includes a face image storing means storing a plurality of face images of a subject captured at different timings, a change detecting means detecting changes in each face image caused by blinking after processing the plurality of face images stored by the face image storing means, and an eyelid detecting means detecting a position of an eyelid of the subject based on the changes detected by the change detecting means.

Abstract: An eyelid detecting apparatus includes an image capturing portion for capturing a face image, a red-eye effect detecting portion for detecting a red-eye effect in which a light appears red at the pupil in the face image, the light entering through the pupil, reflecting on a choroidea of the eye, and exiting from the pupil, an eyelid detecting portion for detecting an upper eyelid and a lower eyelid in the face image on the basis of an edge appearing on a boundary between a bright portion and a dark portion and the eyelid detecting portion ignoring the edge of a red-eye effect occurring pupil so as not to be considered as the upper eyelid and the lower eyelid when the red-eye effect detecting portion detects the red-eye effect.

Abstract: When either a front-side sensor or a rear-side sensor of a subject vehicle detects an obstacle entering a certain distance range of multiple distance ranges within a detection zone close to the subject vehicle, a micro-computer causes a warning unit to warn with a buzzer in a primary warning pattern that is prepared for each distance range. In contrast, when both detect obstacles, the warning unit is caused to warn in the following patterns. In a first case that at least one of two sensors detects an obstacle entering a shortest distance range, the warning unit warns in a different warning pattern differentiated from the primary warning pattern. In a second case except the first case, the warning unit warns in the primary warning pattern corresponding to the distance range that is entered by the obstacle that is closer to the vehicle, of the obstacles detected by the two sensors.

Abstract: An eye detecting device includes an image generating device for generating a face image, a nostril detecting portion for detecting a nostril in the face image, an eye searching area setting portion for setting an eye searching area in the face image based on a position of the nostril detected by the nostril detecting portion, and an eye searching portion for searching an eye within the eye searching area set by the eye searching area setting portion.

Abstract: A driver monitoring system for a vehicle includes an image capturing means for capturing an image of a driver's seat, and a controlling means for performing a face identification determination, and an inattentive and drowsy driving determination of a driver based on an image captured by the image capturing means, wherein the controlling means determines whether or not a driver on the driver's seat is a registered driver on the basis of an image captured by the image capturing means when a shifting means is in a parking position, and determines whether or not a driver is looking aside or falling asleep on the basis of an image captured by the image capturing means when the shifting means is in a shift position other than the parking position.

Abstract: When either a front-side sensor or a rear-side sensor of a subject vehicle detects an obstacle entering a certain distance range of multiple distance ranges within a detection zone close to the subject vehicle, a micro-computer causes a warning unit to warn with a buzzer in a primary warning pattern that is prepared for each distance range. In contrast, when both detect obstacles, the warning unit is caused to warn in the following patterns. In a first case that at least one of two sensors detects an obstacle entering a shortest distance range, the warning unit warns in a different warning pattern differentiated from the primary warning pattern. In a second case except the first case, the warning unit warns in the primary warning pattern corresponding to the distance range that is entered by the obstacle that is closer to the vehicle, of the obstacles detected by the two sensors.

Abstract: An apparatus for visually confirming a vehicle periphery includes a camera device which is attached to a vehicle, and which picks up a image in at least one direction at the vehicle periphery and a display unit which displays the picked-up image in the at least one direction on a display unit installed in the vehicle. The camera device is attached to the vehicle while a position of the camera device is inclined, so that a vehicle is at least partially taken in the picked-image in the at least one direction, The image-processing device carries out a rotation process with respect to the picked-up image, in which a scene taken in the picked-up image is inclined due to an inclination resulting from the position of the camera device, so that an inclination of the scene is negated, and which displays the scene in the display unit.

Abstract: An obstacle detecting system for vehicles has an ultrasonic vibrator having a vibration plate and mounted on a vehicle to transmit and receive an ultrasonic wave. An obstacle is detected in response to an output signal of the ultrasonic vibrator. When the temperature around the ultrasonic vibrator is below a predetermined temperature corresponding to snowfall, the system calculates a ratio of a period of reverberating vibration of the ultrasonic vibrator relative to a predetermined time period following an ultrasonic wave transmission, and determines accumulation of snow when the calculated ratio exceeds a predetermined time ratio. The system notifies an abnormality of the ultrasonic vibrator arising from the accumulation of snow.

Abstract: An obstacle detecting system for vehicles has an ultrasonic vibrator having a vibration plate and mounted on a vehicle to transmit and receive an ultrasonic wave. An obstacle is detected in response to an output signal of the ultrasonic vibrator. When the temperature around the ultrasonic vibrator is below a predetermined temperature corresponding to snowfall, the system calculates a ratio of a period of reverberating vibration of the ultrasonic vibrator relative to a predetermined time period following an ultrasonic wave transmission, and determines accumulation of snow when the calculated ratio exceeds a predetermined time ratio. The system notifies an abnormality of the ultrasonic vibrator arising from the accumulation of snow.