PUPIL COVERING STATE DETECTION DEVICE, AND IN-VEHICLE CAMERA PROVIDED THEREWITH

摘要

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 apparatus 20 is comprises: a visual line direction detecting section 22 operable to detect a direction of a visual line of a driver; a brightness gradient calculating section 23 operable to calculate a brightness gradient of an image of an eye area; a gradient intensity calculating section 24 operable to calculate a gradient intensity vertical distribution ; a gradient intensity storing section 25 adapted 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 section 26 operable 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 section 27 operable to calculate an evaluation value indicating a degree of possibility that the pupil of the driver is hidden; and a pupil hidden judging section 29 operable to judge that the pupil is hidden, when the evaluation values indicative of the pupil being hidden is continued.