Autonomous Vehicle Risk Assessment for Safe Control Handover
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Solution Overview
Problem
Autonomous vehicles may struggle to navigate under adverse conditions or when human operators are unable to safely take control, posing a risk due to inattentiveness or unpreparedness.
Innovation Solution
A system and method to assess human operator capabilities and environmental risks, adjusting vehicle autonomy levels and notifying operators with tailored alerts to ensure safe navigation, involving sensors, environmental threat assessment, and control circuit management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the vehicle operates with high autonomous capabilities, then navigation safety is improved, but the human operator becomes inattentive and unprepared to take control when needed
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously monitors operator parameters (alertness, readiness) and environmental conditions, using this feedback to dynamically determine when to transfer control. This closed-loop feedback mechanism ensures the operator remains prepared to take control when autonomous operation becomes unsafe.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts the level of autonomous capability based on real-time assessments of operator capability and environmental risk. Rather than fixed autonomy levels, the system transitions between autonomous and manual control modes as conditions change, optimizing safety while maintaining operator readiness.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the vehicle transfers control to the human operator, then operator readiness is improved, but navigation safety may deteriorate if the operator is inattentive or unprepared
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary assessments of operator capability and environmental conditions before transferring control. By evaluating operator alertness, readiness, and the suitability of current conditions for manual operation in advance, the system ensures control transfer only occurs when safety can be maintained.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses continuous feedback from operator parameter monitoring and environmental assessment to determine the appropriate moment for control transfer. This feedback-driven approach ensures the operator is ready and conditions are safe before transitioning from autonomous to manual control.
3Loss of time
If the system continuously monitors operator parameters and environmental conditions, then control transfer timing is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses multi-functional sensors and processing capabilities that serve both autonomous navigation and operator monitoring purposes. By leveraging existing autonomous vehicle sensors and computing resources for dual purposes, the system reduces the need for separate dedicated monitoring hardware, thereby reducing overall complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses its own autonomous navigation sensors and processing capabilities to monitor environmental conditions and assess operator readiness, rather than requiring entirely separate monitoring systems. This self-service approach leverages existing infrastructure to reduce system complexity while maintaining comprehensive monitoring.
Data Source
AI summary
Vehicles may have autonomous capabilities that permit the vehicle to navigate according to varying levels of participation by a human operator. A human operator may be associated with a driving capability profile and the environment surrounding a vehicle may be associated with an environmental risk profile. A vehicle, or another party in communication with a vehicle, may determine whether, based on the human operator's driving capability profile and the environmental risk profile, it is likely that the vehicle will be navigated more safely if there is a change to the vehicle's autonomous capabilities and a corresponding change to the human operator's driving responsibilities. If it is determined that a change in autonomous vehicle capability is likely to increase safe navigation of the vehicle, an insurer may offer an insurance premium cost reduction if the human operator agrees to the proposed change in autonomous capabilities.