Driver Posture Monitoring for Reliable Manual Control Handover
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing automatic control systems for vehicles face challenges in ensuring the driver can safely transition from automatic to manual control within a predetermined time, particularly when the driver is in a relaxed posture not allowing immediate manual control.
Innovation Solution
A monitoring device that assesses the driver's posture and prepares them for manual control by providing notifications to adjust their posture when it determines the driver's preparedness level is insufficient for immediate manual control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the driver is required to maintain a posture allowing immediate manual control operation, then the safety and responsiveness of control transfer is improved, but the driver cannot adopt a relaxed posture during automatic control
Solution Approach 1:
The monitoring device performs preliminary assessment of the driver's posture and prepares for potential control transfer by evaluating whether the driver can assume manual control position within the transfer time. This allows the system to proactively identify posture issues before control transfer is needed, enabling early warnings or gentle reminders to adjust posture without requiring constant readiness
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts the level of monitoring and notification based on the assessed degree of preparedness. When the driver's posture is already suitable for manual control, no notification is provided allowing complete relaxation. When posture is unsuitable, the system provides appropriate notifications to encourage adjustment, creating a dynamic balance between comfort and safety
2Reliability
If the system provides continuous notifications to maintain driver readiness for manual control, then the control transfer reliability is improved, but the driver experience is degraded with unnecessary notifications
Solution Approach 1:
The notification system applies different notification strategies based on the local condition of driver posture. Notifications are only generated when the driver's posture falls outside the acceptable range for manual control operation. When posture is already suitable, no notifications are provided, creating a localized response that matches the actual need
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors driver posture and provides feedback notifications only when the posture assessment indicates insufficient preparedness for manual control. This feedback loop allows the driver to understand when adjustment is needed without being disturbed by unnecessary notifications when posture is already appropriate
Data Source
AI summary
A monitoring device has a processor configured to determine whether a degree of preparedness of a driver to initiate manual control is a first degree in which manual control of a vehicle is possible, a second degree which is allowed while the vehicle is being operated by automatic control or a third degree which is not allowed while the vehicle is being operated by automatic control, based on posture information indicating a posture of the driver, acquired while the vehicle is being operated by automatic control, and a notification control unit that provides a predetermined notification to increase the degree of preparedness of the driver to initiate manual control, via a notification unit, when it has been determined that the degree of preparedness to initiate manual control is the third degree.