Drivers’ Warning Application Through Personalized DSSS-CDMA Data Transmission by Using the FM Radio Broadcasting Infrastructure

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Implementation of a High-Accuracy Neural Network-Based Pupil Detection System for Real-Time and Real-World Applications

In this paper, the implementation of a new pupil detection system based on artificial intelligence techniques suitable for real-time and real-word applications is presented. The proposed AI-based pupil detection system uses a classifier implemented with slim-type neural networks, with its classes being defined according to the possible positions of the pupil within the eye image. In order to reduce the complexity of the neural network, a new parallel architecture is used in which two independent classifiers deliver the pupil center coordinates. The training, testing, and validation of the proposed system were performed using almost 40,000 eye images with a resolution of 320 × 240 pixels and coming from 20 different databases, with a high degree of generality. The experimental results show a detection rate of 96.29% at five pixels with a standard deviation of 3.38 pixels for all eye images from all databases and a processing speed of 100 frames/s. These results indicate both high accuracy and high processing speed, and they allow us to use the proposed solution for different real-time applications in variable and non-uniform lighting conditions, in fields such as assistive technology to communicate with neuromotor-disabled patients by using eye typing, in computer gaming, and in the automotive industry for increasing traffic safety by monitoring the driver’s cognitive state

Drivers’ Warning Application Through Image Notifications on the FM Radio Broadcasting Infrastructure

International audienceIn this paper a new application for transmitting image notifications on the FM radio broadcasting infrastructure, dedicated to warn drivers about a significant road event and to increase the traffic safety is presented. The paper analyses different technical solutions suitable for transmitting and receiving real-time image notifications in different scenarios by using the software-defined radio concept. In the first scenario, the image notifications are QPSK modulated and transmitted with 8 kb/s bit-rate by using the mono FM radio channel. In order to increase the speed of data transmission, the second scenario uses the FM subcarrier channels dedicated for broadcasting alternate services. In this case, the speed of data transmission was 40 kb/s, 60 kb/s and 80 kb/s for QPSK, 8-PSK and 16-PSK modulations, respectively. A new software solution to perform the real-time carrier synchronization for 8-PSK/16-PSK modulation based on a decision-directed PLL and non-linear decision block is also presented. The functionality of the proposed application was demonstrated by simulations for both transmission scenarios. Moreover, the first scenario was tested experimentally by using a professional FM transmitter and a simple RTL-SDR dongle at the reception. The customized baseband modulating signal including audio, data (image notification) and RDS signals was generated by using a device built by the authors. The receiver provides the digital signal through a USB interface to a software program, running on a processing unit, for demodulation. An experimental method for plotting BER vs. Eb/N0 ratio, based on signal-to-noise ratio measured with a software spectrum analyzer has been proposed also. This method allows the characterization of the experimental setup and give hints about the QPSK signal power level compared to the other ones

Simulation framework for data transmission by FM radio broadcasting on a two-ray propagation channel

International audienceThis paper presents a simulation framework intended to perform realistic simulations of point-to-point transmissions in the FM (Frequency Modulation) band. The considered application is the broadcasting of drivers' warning notifications by the means of low-resolution images (pictograms) embedded into the FM signal. The proposed simulation framework gives the possibility of obtaining an estimation of the communication range. More in details, it is capable of extracting BER (Bit Error Rate) with respect to different communication scenarios while being able to bring realism in the model of different parts of the transmission chain (e.g., down to circuit level). The proposed tool was validated by simulating transmissions with two digital modulation schemes i. e., QPSK (Quadrature Phase Shift Keying) and 8-PSK respectively, and by modelling a LOS (line-of-sight) two-ray propagation channel

A New Integrated System for Assistance in Communicating with and Telemonitoring Severely Disabled Patients

In this paper, we present a new complex electronic system for facilitating communication with severely disabled patients and telemonitoring their physiological parameters. The proposed assistive system includes three subsystems (Patient, Server, and Caretaker) connected to each other via the Internet. The two-way communication function is based on keywords technology using a WEB application implemented at the server level, and the application is accessed remotely from the patient’s laptop/tablet PC. The patient’s needs can be detected by using different switch-type sensors that are adapted to the patient’s physical condition or by using eye-tracking interfaces. The telemonitoring function is based on a wearable wireless sensor network, organized around the Internet of Things concept, and the sensors acquire different physiological parameters of the patients according to their needs. The mobile Caretaker device is represented by a Smartphone, which uses an Android application for communicating with patients and performing real-time monitoring of their physiological parameters. The prototype of the proposed assistive system was tested in “Dr. C.I. Parhon” Clinical Hospital of Iaşi, Romania, on hospitalized patients from the Clinic of Geriatrics and Gerontology. The system contributes to an increase in the level of care and treatment for disabled patients, and this ultimately lowers costs in the healthcare system