Robust profile face detection and rotation angle estimation of the driver's head in a novel dazzling avoidance system

This paper presents robust methods of detecting the profile face and estimating the rotation angle of the driver's head in the ShadeVision system [1], which is a novel vision-based driving assistance system aiming to avoid the dazzling effect caused by strong external light. As the detection rate of dazzling effect highly relies on the brightness of the profile face [2], new algorithms need to be developed to realize the robust profile face detection in driving scenario. When there are multiple strong external light sources, the system needs to know where the driver's sight is focusing in order to determine the light source that is dangerous to the driver [1]. To this end the precise rotation angle of the driver's head is of great importance. The effectiveness of the developed algorithms is verified by the laboratory and field tests.