US Patent 9137498 Detection of mobile computing device use in motor vehicle

Embodiments for the detection of mobile device use in a motor vehicle are disclosed. As one example, a system and method are disclosed in which an image of a scene is captured via a camera. The presence of a graphical display of a mobile device is detected within the scene by processing the image to identify a signature pixel characteristic indicative of a graphical display in a portion of the scene corresponding to a driver's position within a vehicle frame of reference. An indication of a positive detection of the graphical display is output by the system.