AR Display for Maintaining Occupant Awareness During Autonomous Handoff
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Solution Overview
Problem
In autonomous vehicles, sudden transitions of control from autonomous to manual operation can occur due to equipment failures, leaving potentially distracted occupants without sufficient time to regain driving context, posing safety risks.
Innovation Solution
The system maintains occupant awareness by recreating a forward view and presenting emphasis on critical objects through augmented reality, using a heads-up display or head-mounted display to trigger physiological reactions and enhance awareness, ensuring the primary occupant can safely take control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If autonomous control is implemented in vehicles, then automation level and productivity are improved, but occupant awareness and safety are worsened during sudden control transitions
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by detecting occupancy status and presenting contextual images before control transition occurs. The processor identifies whether the vehicle cabin is occupied and pre-presents relevant driving context information through displays, ensuring the occupant is prepared for potential control handoff before it actually happens.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses an intermediary approach by introducing contextual images as a mediator between the autonomous control system and the occupant. These images serve as intermediate information that bridges the gap between automated operation and manual control, helping the occupant maintain awareness without requiring constant active monitoring.
2Reliability
If contextual images are presented to maintain occupant awareness, then safety and awareness are improved, but device complexity and information processing requirements are worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies local quality by selectively presenting contextual images based on specific conditions rather than continuously displaying all possible information. The processor determines which contextual images are relevant based on the current driving situation and occupancy status, providing targeted information only where and when needed, thus reducing overall system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses partial action by presenting only the necessary portion of driving context information rather than complete data. The processor selects and displays specific contextual images that are most relevant to the current situation, avoiding the complexity of processing and displaying all possible vehicle operating parameters.
Data Source
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AI summary
In general, techniques are described for maintaining occupant awareness in vehicles. A device configured to maintain occupant awareness in a vehicle comprising: a processor and a display may be configured to perform the techniques. The processor may determine a location at which an occupant is gazing, and generate, when the determined location indicates that the occupant is not focused on a direction in which the vehicle is traveling, one or more contextual images capable of assisting the occupant in maintaining awareness of a context in which the vehicle is currently operating. The display may present, based on the determined location, the one or more contextual images proximate to the determined position within the cabin of the vehicle to assist the occupant in assuming control of the vehicle when the vehicle is no longer able to autonomously control the operation of the vehicle.