Auto Driving Control System Sensor Substitution
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional auto driving control systems fail to ensure safe continuation of driving when automatic driving becomes difficult due to sensor failures or adverse weather conditions, as they rely on the driver's ability to take over, which may not be feasible, especially at higher automation levels.
Innovation Solution
An auto driving control system that utilizes a combination of external and in-vehicle sensors to determine the driving situation and the occupant's state, allowing for substitution of sensor functions to continue automatic driving until the occupant can safely take over, using an estimation drive control unit to execute control instructions based on information from alternative sensors.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If the system returns control to the occupant immediately when automatic driving becomes impossible, then the automation level is maintained, but the safety of driving takeover cannot be ensured
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary assessment of the occupant's driving ability before transferring control. The state determining unit evaluates whether the occupant is capable of driving based on detected states such as consciousness level, seating position, and operational status. This preliminary action ensures that control is only returned when safe, resolving the contradiction between maintaining automation and ensuring takeover safety.
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces an intermediary assessment mechanism between automatic driving and manual takeover. Rather than direct transfer, the state determining unit acts as an intermediary that evaluates occupant readiness. This intermediary layer allows the system to maintain high automation levels while ensuring safety through intermediate verification of driver capability.
2Reliability
If the system requires the occupant to take over driving when automatic driving fails, then the automation function is reduced, but the safety cannot be ensured when the occupant is unable to drive
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs self-assessment of the occupant's driving capability through the state determining unit. Rather than blindly requiring takeover, the system autonomously evaluates whether the occupant is fit to drive by detecting their physical and operational state. This self-service mechanism allows the automation to intelligently decide when takeover is appropriate, maintaining safety without unnecessarily reducing automation function.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback by continuously monitoring the occupant's state and using this information to determine whether takeover should be requested. The state determining unit provides feedback about occupant capability, which informs the control unit's decision-making. This feedback loop ensures that automation is reduced only when necessary for safety, not arbitrarily.
3Ease of operation
If the system performs decelerating and stopping when automatic traveling becomes impossible, then the driving is simplified, but the control may not be safe on highways, intersections, or curved roads
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts the takeover request strategy based on the current driving situation. Rather than always requesting immediate takeover or always decelerating, the control unit adapts its response based on factors such as road type, traffic conditions, and vehicle state. This dynamic approach allows simple deceleration when safe while requesting takeover when necessary, resolving the contradiction between operational simplicity and safety.
Data Source
AI summary
An auto driving control system includes: a situation determining unit which recognizes a situation around the vehicle and determines whether automatic traveling is possible; a drive control unit which performs traveling control when the automatic traveling is possible; a state determining unit which determines whether an occupant is able to drive; and an estimation drive control unit configured such that when the automatic traveling is difficult and it is difficult for the occupant to take over the driving, and when it is determined that execution of a function of the automatic traveling is difficult due to a first sensor, the estimation drive control unit executes the function by using information of a second sensor, and performs traveling control of the vehicle, wherein the automatic traveling is continued based on a control instruction of the estimation drive control unit until the occupant becomes able to take over the driving.