Autopilot Route Section Distance Display for Driver Awareness
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Solution Overview
Problem
Fully automatic vehicle guidance by an autopilot function is unfamiliar to most vehicle users, and there is a need for clear separation between manual and automatic driving modes, along with detailed information about system activity to enhance acceptance and trust in the autopilot function.
Innovation Solution
A driver assistance system that determines the start and end of an autopilot route section, outputs the distance or travel time to the driver, and provides visual and acoustic cues, including graphical and textual representations, to inform when the autopilot function is available and active, and when to hand over or resume control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the autopilot function is activated for automatic vehicle guidance, then the driver's workload is reduced and productivity increases, but the driver's awareness and control of the vehicle decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously provides feedback to the driver through display devices showing the vehicle's current state, detected objects, planned maneuvers, and autopilot status. This includes visual representations of the driving environment, system activity indicators, and takeover requests when manual control is needed, ensuring the driver remains informed about vehicle control status while benefiting from automated guidance
Solution Approach 2:
The information display is segmented into multiple independent elements: vehicle state indicators, detected object representations, planned maneuver displays, autopilot status indicators, and takeover request notifications. This segmentation allows the driver to selectively attend to different aspects of vehicle control information without being overwhelmed by a single comprehensive display
2Reliability
If detailed information about autopilot system activity is provided to the driver, then acceptance and trust in the system increase, but the device complexity and information processing requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
Different aspects of system information are displayed with different levels of detail and prominence based on their importance. Critical information such as takeover requests and current maneuvers receives prominent display, while less critical system status information is shown with lower visual weight. The display adapts the level of information density to the current driving context and autopilot activity
3Reliability
If the driver is continuously monitored for takeover readiness, then safety is improved, but the ease of operation and driver comfort decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The system monitors driver status and issues takeover requests at periodic intervals or at specific critical moments rather than continuously demanding driver attention. Takeover requests are triggered based on detected conditions such as approaching route sections requiring manual control, ensuring safety while allowing the driver periods of relaxed operation when automated guidance is sufficient
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates to a driver assistance system (11) for a vehicle (10). The driver assistance system (11) is configured to control the vehicle (10) at least partially automatically. In the method, the start of an auto pilot route section (43) is determined in the course of a route planned for the vehicle (10). The driver assistance system (11) is able to control the vehicle (10) automatically along the autopilot route section (43). A distance between the current position of the vehicle (10) and the start of the autopilot route section (42) is determined and output in the vehicle (10).