Autonomous Vehicle Throttle Pedal Engagement Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
There is a concern about safety and regulatory compliance in autonomous vehicles, as they may not ensure active physical control and monitoring by a human driver, which is crucial for safe operation and adherence to regulations, especially in jurisdictions requiring human presence.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that utilize processors to confirm active human control by monitoring the throttle pedal's depression status, allowing semi-autonomous driving to continue as long as the pedal is depressed, and terminating it when the pedal is no longer depressed, ensuring the vehicle can be returned to human control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If autonomous driving is implemented without human control requirements, then productivity and automation are improved, but safety and regulatory compliance deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts the level of automation based on detected human engagement. When human engagement is detected (throttle pedal depression), the system operates in autonomous mode with high automation. When engagement is not detected, it transitions to manual control mode, reducing automation level. This dynamic adjustment resolves the contradiction by allowing high automation when safe and requiring human control when safety concerns arise.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors throttle pedal position to detect human engagement and uses this feedback to determine whether to maintain or terminate autonomous driving. This closed-loop feedback mechanism ensures that automation level is continuously adjusted based on real-time human presence detection, maintaining both high automation capability and safety compliance.
2Reliability
If continuous human monitoring is required for safety, then reliability is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates due to increased driver burden
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses the driver's natural driving actions (throttle pedal depression) as the monitoring mechanism rather than requiring separate monitoring actions. The driver's normal operation of the vehicle serves dual purposes: both controlling the vehicle and demonstrating engagement for safety compliance. This eliminates the need for separate monitoring tasks, maintaining safety without increasing driver burden.
3Reliability
If throttle pedal depression is required to confirm active control, then reliability is improved through verified human engagement, but ease of operation deteriorates as it adds a continuous action requirement
Solution Approach 1:
The throttle pedal serves multiple functions: it controls vehicle acceleration (traditional function) and simultaneously serves as an engagement detection mechanism for autonomous driving termination (additional function). By making the pedal multi-functional, the system verifies human engagement through an existing control element rather than requiring a separate monitoring device or action, thus maintaining reliability without significantly increasing operational complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for operating an autonomous vehicle can involve monitoring a throttle position of a throttle pedal on the semi-autonomous vehicle. Once the throttle pedal is found to no longer be depressed, the vehicle can be returned to human control.