Vehicle Cabin Environment Control for Autonomous-to-Manual Handover
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional vehicle control systems fail to consider the in-vehicle environment when transitioning from automatic driving to manual driving, leading to an abrupt change that may not be suitable for the driver's needs.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle control system that includes an automatic driving control unit and an environment control unit, which adjusts the vehicle's environment by controlling lighting, temperature, and air conditioning to prepare the cabin for a lower automatic driving mode before the transition, ensuring a smooth shift and enhancing driver awareness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If the vehicle transitions directly from automatic driving mode to manual driving mode without environmental adjustment, then the switching response is fast and efficient, but the driver's adaptability and comfort deteriorate due to abrupt environmental changes
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary environmental adjustments before the actual mode switching occurs. When automatic driving is about to end, the environment control unit proactively adjusts lighting, temperature, and air conditioning to match the conditions suitable for manual driving, ensuring the driver is already adapted to the environment before taking control
Solution Approach 2:
The environmental parameters are dynamically adjusted during the transition period rather than remaining static. The system gradually changes lighting intensity, temperature, and air flow rates to smoothly bridge the gap between automatic and manual driving conditions, making the transition imperceptible to the driver
2Illumination intensity
If the lighting device maintains high light emission during automatic driving transition, then the driver's visibility is improved, but the driver's wakefulness and focus deteriorate due to excessive light exposure
Solution Approach 1:
The system changes the lighting parameters dynamically based on the driving mode and transition state. During automatic driving, lighting is optimized for visibility; during transition to manual driving, the lighting intensity and color temperature are adjusted to promote driver wakefulness while maintaining adequate visibility
3Temperature
If the air conditioning system operates at high capacity during mode transition, then the cabin temperature comfort is improved, but the fogging of windows and mirrors worsens due to excessive moisture condensation
Solution Approach 1:
The air conditioning system applies different treatment to different zones within the cabin. The environment control unit selectively controls air flow and temperature in areas prone to fogging (near windows and mirrors) versus general cabin areas, maintaining comfort while preventing condensation through localized dehumidification or heating
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle control system includes an automatic driving control unit executing a first driving mode in which at least one of acceleration/deceleration and steering of a subject vehicle is automatically controlled and an environment control unit controlling an environment device of the subject vehicle such that an environment of the inside of a vehicle cabin is in a state appropriate for a second driving mode in a case in which the automatic driving control unit ends execution of the first driving mode and transitions to a second driving mode of which a degree of automatic driving is lower than that of the first driving mode.