Adaptive Cruise Control Driver Attentiveness Monitoring
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing adaptive cruise control systems lack effective methods for determining when to resume movement after a target vehicle has stopped and resumed, particularly in ensuring driver attentiveness during this process.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that monitor the driver's attentiveness using sensors to calculate a driver attentiveness score, which determines whether the vehicle can automatically resume movement based on the score exceeding a predetermined threshold, or requests driver input if the score is insufficient, using a processor and fuzzy logic to weight the score over time.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the vehicle automatically resumes movement when the target vehicle resumes movement, then the convenience and productivity of the adaptive cruise control system is improved, but the safety risk increases due to potential unintended acceleration when the driver is not attentive
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously monitors driver attentiveness through sensors (eye tracking, head position, steering input) and uses this feedback to dynamically control the movement resumption function. The driver attentiveness score is calculated in real-time and fed back to the control system to determine whether automatic resumption should be enabled or disabled, creating a closed-loop safety mechanism
Solution Approach 2:
The driver attentiveness score acts as an intermediary variable between the target vehicle's movement state and the host vehicle's acceleration system. Instead of directly linking target vehicle movement to host vehicle acceleration, the system introduces the attentiveness score as a conditional gate that must be satisfied before movement resumption occurs, preventing unintended acceleration when the driver is inattentive
2Reliability
If the system requires driver input to resume movement, then the safety is improved by ensuring driver attentiveness, but the convenience and automation level deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts the level of automation based on real-time driver attentiveness conditions. When the driver attentiveness score exceeds the threshold, the system operates in automatic mode with high automation level. When the score falls below the threshold, the system transitions to manual mode requiring driver input, thus dynamically adapting the automation extent to current safety conditions
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the operational parameter of automation level based on the driver attentiveness score threshold. The threshold acts as a critical parameter that, when crossed, triggers a change in system behavior from automatic to manual control, allowing the system to maintain high automation when safe and require driver input when safety is compromised
Data Source
AI summary
In accordance with an exemplary embodiment, a vehicle is provided that includes a body, a drive system, and a control system for controlling the adaptive cruise control functionality for the vehicle. The drive system is disposed within the body, and has adaptive cruise control functionality. The control system includes: one or more sensors disposed onboard the vehicle and configured to obtain sensor data for monitoring a driver of the vehicle while the vehicle is stopped during adaptive cruise control operation while a target vehicle in front of the vehicle has stopped; and a processor coupled to the one or more sensors and configured to provide instructions for automatically resuming movement of the vehicle, when the target vehicle resumes movement, based on the monitoring of the driver of the vehicle.