Henrik Lind

A Holistic Approach to the Integration of Safety Applications: The INSAFES Subproject Within the European Framework Programme 6 Integrating Project PReVENT

This paper deals with the integration of multiple advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) and in-vehicle information systems (IVIS) in a holistic driver-support system. The paper presents the results of a project named Integrated Safety Systems (INSAFES), which was part of PReVENT: an integrating project carried out under the European Framework Programme 6. Integration in INSAFES is tackled at three different levels in the framework of a “cognitive car” perspective: 1) at the perception level, to represent the world around the vehicle, including object-tracking between sensor fields and the detection of driver intentions; 2) at the decision level, to reproduce humanlike holistic motion plans, which serve as “reference maneuvers” to evaluate the motion alternatives that a driver faces; and 3) at the level of interaction with the driver and vehicle control ( action level), to arbitrate between the requests of functions competing for driver attention. A function that provides simultaneous longitudinal and lateral support has been developed. It gives support for safe speed, safe distance, lane change, and all-around collision avoidance all at the same time. At its core, there is a tool (evasive/reference maneuver) that constantly evaluates two possible alternatives (in lane and evasive/lane change) and compares them with the driver input to detect which one applies, which dictates warnings and driver interactions, and whether there is a better alternative. In addition, a “warning manager” has been developed, acting like a referee who lets the ADAS applications work standalone and then combines the requests of each application, prioritizes them, and manages the interaction with the user. The warning manager can be particularly useful in the case of integration of pre-existing standalone functions, which can be quickly reused. If a holistic ADAS is developed, the warning manager can still be used to combine it with IVIS functions. In fact, depending on the kind of ADAS and IVIS considered, the most suitable approach can be either to combine functions in a unified multifunctional driver-support application or to arbitrate between them through the warning manager.

HMI principles for lateral safe applications

LATERAL SAFE is a subproject of the PREVENT Integrated Project, co-funded by the European Commission under the 6th Framework Programme. LATERAL SAFE introduces a cluster of safety applications of the future vehicles, in order to prevent lateral/rear related accidents and assist the driver in adverse or low visibility conditions and blind spot areas. LATERAL SAFE applications include a lateral and rear monitoring system (LRM), a lane change assistant (LCA) and a lateral collision warning (LCW). An effective Human Machine Interface (HMI) is being developed, addressing each application, on the basis of the results emerged from mock-up tests realised in three sites (one in Greece and two in Sweden), aiming to determine which is the best HMI solution to be provided in each case. In the current paper, the final HMI principles, adopted and demonstrated for each application, are presented.

AWARE A Collision Warning and Avoidance Radar System

The project Anticollision, Warning and Avoidance Radar Equipment, AWARE, will develop a high performance on-board vehicle system for forward looking Collision Warning and Avoidance, CW/A.

A holistic decision-making framework for integrated safety

A Bayesian decision-theoretic decision-making framework for integrated vehicle safety systems is introduced. The framework tries to address the increasing need for introduction of optimal decision-making to integrated vehicle safety. The framework tries to capture all the interdependencies between systems in one optimisation problem by designing appropriate risk functions. This is achieved by incorporating driver behaviour model and pre-crash occupant position tracking. New software methods and tools should also be developed to efficiently accommodate this. The framework, in general, leads to higher design flexibility and scalability 1.

INSAFES HCI principles for integrated ADAS applications

In order to integrate several time critical warning systems, e.g. Collision Warning and Lane Departure Warning, in the same vehicle one has to deal with the problem of warning management to not overload the driver in critical situations and to make sure that drivers focus is directed to the right place. This paper presents INSAFES integration schemes to ensure these issues, and gives general as well as specific use cases based on warning systems integrated in one of INSAFES demonstrator vehicles. From these use cases are then requirements on warning management derived regarding prioritization schemes. The requirements concludes in a proposed extension of the warning management concepts derived in the AIDE project.