Driver Skill Evaluation for Safe Automatic Driving Mode Switching
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing automatic driving control systems for vehicles face challenges in safely transitioning from automatic to manual driving modes, particularly when a driver's skills are inadequate, as they may struggle to take over vehicle operation during mode shifts, risking safety and efficiency.
Innovation Solution
An automatic driving control apparatus equipped with a driving skill evaluation unit and mode switching unit that monitors and evaluates a driver's skills during manual driving mode, allowing a switch to automatic driving mode only when the evaluated skills meet a predetermined threshold, ensuring the driver is capable of safely operating the vehicle.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the system allows switching to automatic driving mode without evaluating driver skill, then the ease of operation is improved, but the reliability deteriorates because unsuitable drivers may struggle to take over during mode transitions
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary evaluation of driver skill during manual driving mode before allowing transition to automatic driving mode. The driving skill evaluation unit accumulates evaluation data and determines whether the driver meets the threshold requirement in advance, ensuring the driver is capable of safe transition before the mode switch occurs.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors driving operation and provides feedback about driver skill level. The driving skill evaluation unit processes driving data and compares it against predetermined thresholds, providing ongoing assessment that informs whether the driver is ready for mode transition, creating a closed-loop safety mechanism.
2Reliability
If the system implements driver skill evaluation before allowing automatic driving mode, then the reliability is improved, but the device complexity increases due to additional monitoring and evaluation components
Solution Approach 1:
The driving skill evaluation unit utilizes existing driving operation data that is already being collected for normal vehicle control purposes. By repurposing this existing data for skill evaluation, the system avoids adding separate specialized sensors or monitoring devices, thereby reducing the increase in device complexity while still achieving reliable driver capability verification.
3Reliability
If the system requires driver skill evaluation threshold to be met, then the safety is improved, but the productivity decreases due to additional evaluation time and potential mode switching restrictions
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs skill evaluation continuously during manual driving mode before automatic driving mode is needed. By having the evaluation ready in advance, the system minimizes any time loss when the driver needs to switch to automatic mode, as the threshold determination has already been made or is quickly ascertainable from accumulated data.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts the evaluation process based on the driver's performance. As the driver demonstrates competent operation, the evaluation accumulates positive evidence, potentially reducing future evaluation requirements. This dynamic approach allows the system to adapt to individual driver capabilities, minimizing restrictions on productive use of the vehicle while maintaining safety standards.
Data Source
AI summary
A automatic driving control apparatus for a vehicle can selectively switch a driving mode between a manual driving mode in which a driver manually performs driving operation of the own vehicle and an automatic driving mode in which driving operation is performed automatically along a set target traveling route. The automatic driving control apparatus includes a driving skill evaluation unit and a driving mode switching unit. The driving skill evaluation unit is configured to monitor the driving operation by the driver during traveling in the manual driving mode and evaluate a driving skill of the driver. The driving mode switching unit is configured to control the driving mode so as to be switchable to the automatic driving mode on condition that at least an evaluation value of the driver by the driving skill evaluation unit exceeds a threshold set in advance.