Wearable Driver Terminal for Timed Manual Driving Handover

Solution Overview

Problem

In mixed road sections where automatic and manual driving are required, vehicles face challenges in maintaining smooth travel due to the lack of infrastructure equivalent to closed tracks, leading to potential traffic jams and accidents when drivers fail to properly switch from automatic to manual driving.

Innovation Solution

A wearable information processing device and system that provides real-time section information and estimated time to reach automatic and manual driving sections, using a mobile device to acquire and transmit data to a wearable terminal, which outputs this information and determines optimal notification timing for manual driving recovery based on driver arousal levels and position.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If automatic driving is implemented in mixed road sections, then driver load is reduced and safety is improved, but smooth traveling cannot be maintained when manual driving intervention is required

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedriving safetyVSAvoidtraveling smoothness

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary actions by notifying the driver in advance about upcoming manual driving sections and providing estimated arrival times. This allows the driver to prepare for the transition before it occurs, ensuring both safety (by maintaining driver awareness) and smoothness (by avoiding sudden transitions)

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements feedback by continuously monitoring driver state (arousal level, position) and adjusting notification timing accordingly. This feedback loop ensures that drivers receive information at optimal moments for their current state, improving both safety response and travel continuity

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

2Reliability

If drivers are required to monitor section information continuously, then manual driving recovery is ensured, but driver load increases and attention may be impaired

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemanual driving recoveryVSAvoiddriver attention

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary actions by notifying the driver in advance about upcoming manual driving sections and providing estimated arrival times. This allows the driver to prepare for the transition before it occurs, ensuring both safety (by maintaining driver awareness) and smoothness (by avoiding sudden transitions)

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system uses self-service by automatically monitoring driver state (arousal level, position) and autonomously determining optimal notification timing. This removes the burden of continuous driver monitoring while ensuring appropriate timing, improving both reliability and ease of operation

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

3Reliability

If emergency stop is performed when manual driving recovery fails, then safety is maintained, but traffic congestion and accidents may occur

Engineering Contradiction:

ImprovesafetyVSAvoidtraffic congestion and accidents

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary actions by notifying the driver in advance about upcoming manual driving sections and providing estimated arrival times. This allows the driver to prepare for the transition before it occurs, ensuring both safety (by maintaining driver awareness) and smoothness (by avoiding sudden transitions)

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system applies dynamics by adaptively adjusting notification timing based on real-time driver state assessment. Rather than using fixed timing, the system dynamically modifies when notifications occur based on driver arousal level and position, preventing premature or delayed transitions that could lead to emergency stops

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentUS11866073B2Information processing device, information processing system, and information processing method for wearable information terminal for a driver of an automatic driving vehicle

Publication Date: 2024.01.09 SONY SEMICON SOLUTIONS CORP

AI summary

Provided is a mobile device that acquires the section information of an automatic driving section and a manual driving section on a traveling route, and estimates the time to reach each section and transmits the estimated time to an information terminal. The information terminal receives the transmission data from the mobile device, and outputs the section information of the automatic driving section and the manual driving section and the display data by which a time to reach each section is confirmable. Moreover, the mobile device determines notification timing of a manual driving recovery request notification on the basis of an arousal level, a position, or the like of a driver and transmits the determined notification timing to the information terminal, and the information terminal executes the manual driving recovery request notification at appropriate notification timing.