Pupil hidden state detecting apparatus and vehicle-mounted camera employing the same

Abstract

Provided is a pupil hidden state detecting apparatus which can detect directly a hidden state of a pupil without detecting a hiding object. The pupil hidden state detecting apparatusis comprises: a visual line direction detecting sectionoperable to detect a direction of a visual line of a driver; a brightness gradient calculating sectionoperable to calculate a brightness gradient of an image of an eye area; a gradient intensity calculating sectionoperable to calculate a gradient intensity vertical distribution; a gradient intensity storing sectionadapted to store therein the data of a reference gradient intensity vertical distribution under the state that the direction of the visual line of the driver is toward an instrument panel; a difference calculating sectionoperable to calculate a difference between the gradient intensity vertical distribution of the current frame and the reference gradient intensity vertical distribution; an evaluation value calculating sectionoperable to calculate an evaluation value indicating a degree of possibility that the pupil of the driver is hidden; and a pupil hidden judging sectionoperable to judge that the pupil is hidden, when the evaluation values indicative of the pupil being hidden is continued.