Optimizing Driver Drowsiness Detection: Evaluating CLAHE and AHE Enhancement Techniques

Driver drowsiness is a critical factor in road safety, and early detection can be key to preventing accidents. This research focuses on improving the accuracy of drowsiness detection by enhancing the contrast of driver facial images using image processing techniques. Specifically, the study explores the effectiveness of Adaptive Histogram Equalization (AHE) and Contrast Limited Adaptive Histogram Equalization (CLAHE) in this context. The research utilizes the Drowsy Driver Detection (DDD) dataset, which includes facial images categorized into Drowsy and Non-Drowsy classes. AHE and CLAHE techniques are applied to preprocess these images, aiming to improve contrast and subsequently enhance drowsiness detection accuracy. Evaluation metrics such as Mean Squared Error (MSE), Peak Signal-to-Noise Ratio (PSNR), and Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) are employed to assess the quality of the processed images. The findings indicate that CLAHE performs better than AHE in terms of image enhancement. CLAHE achieves significantly lower MSE (93.90) compared to AHE (103.92), along with higher PSNR (28.41 for CLAHE vs. 27.97 for AHE) and SNR (0.49 for CLAHE vs. 0.04 for AHE) values. These results suggest that CLAHE effectively enhances contrast and improves image clarity. The success of CLAHE as a contrast enhancement technique highlights its potential application in real-time driver monitoring systems. In conclusion, this research underscores the importance of image preprocessing techniques like CLAHE in advancing driver safety technologies, emphasizing their potential to enhance the performance of drowsiness detection systems in practical driving scenarios.