Advanced Vehicle Technologies Panel Session, August 19, 2014

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Tim Johnson

Director, Vehicle Crash Avoidance and Electronic Controls Research

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)

The material in this presentation is US Government work and may be copied and distributed without permission

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INJURY MITIGATION MEDICAL ATTENTION

HUMAN / PRE - EVENT

SEVERITY REDUCTION PREVENTION

Volvo forward collision warning

New Technologies and The Crash Timeline

“Driver Assist” Technologies

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About 90% of police reported crashes involve some type of driver error

Data indicates safety benefits for driver assistance systems, i.e. “smart” technologies

Government perspective Motivation remains strong for safety programs

• Automobile crashes – leading cause of death ages 4-34

Industry: Integration of functions, cost reduction, and tech savvy drivers will

make it attractive for OEMs to say “yes” to advanced technologies

Advanced Driver Assist Systems: What’s Motivating Implementation?

Production Systems: Electronic Stability Control

Light Vehicle:

Prevent crashes due to loss

of control Continental Automotive Systems USA

Mandated via FMVSS 126

Potential to save thousands of lives per year

Heavy Vehicle

NHTSA Rulemaking

underway

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Production Systems: Forward Collision Avoidance and Mitigation Systems

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• Radar and Camera Sensors

• Systems typically provide

Driver Crash Warning and If

needed, Automatic Braking

• NHTSA Activities:

Estimating Safety

Benefits,

Developing Test

Procedures,

Next steps decision soon

Production Systems: Pedestrian Crash Avoidance

• Over 4400 Fatalities (2011)

• Initial production systems being introduced (radar or

camera sensors

• NHTSA testing systems, developing test dummy’s and

test procedures

Challenges for forward collision warning and mitigation systems

Improving effectiveness and driver acceptance

Improve interface design

Reduce false/nuisance alarms

Improve performance/reliability

NHTSA currently conducting research to:

Support improved interface designs

Evaluate false positive issues/tests

Support field testing and other studies to better determine

performance

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Production Systems: Lane Departure Warning (LDW), Lane Keeping Systems (LKS)

Video camera technology detects lane markings and warns driver of unintentional lane drift. Some systems add slight brake torque or steering assist

Technology is commercialized in both the light and heavy duty sectors

NHTSA Activities: Included in agency’s NCAP Program 8

Production Systems: Blind Spot Monitoring and Rear Visibility

Blind Spot Monitoring:

Radar based, and warns

driver of presence of

vehicle in the blind spot

Different warning schemes

from different automakers

(visual, audio, haptic)

Rear Visibility/Backup Systems:

Camera Sensors

Significant NHTSA focus,

final regulation recently

issued

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Production Systems: Trends in New In-Vehicle Displays/Infotainment Systems

Displays Larger, more colorful displays

Reconfigurable “Soft” dashboards or meter clusters

Controls Expanded use of touchscreens

Swiping and other “gesture” control inputs

Voice commands

Combination of touchscreen buttons and hard buttons

Applications Infotainment

Social Media

Driving Related

Production Systems: High Resolution Displays

Production Systems: Reconfigurable Meter Clusters

Production Systems: Integrating Vehicle Systems with Smartphones

Production Systems: Voice Interfaces

Reduce Workload: Distraction Guidelines

NHTSA Activities:

Phase 1 Guidelines published

in 2013 (in-vehicle systems)

Portable and aftermarket

devices (Phase 2) – DRAFT

guidelines later this year

Future: Voice interface

systems (Phase 3)

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Devices where the interfaces are worn and move with the body

Google Glass - Potential use within a driving

environment

- Critical for NHTSA to understand the

impact on distraction and vehicle safety

Next Generation Technology (Next Gen Tech): Wearables

Next Gen Tech: Vehicle to Vehicle (V2V) Communications

Vehicles “talk” to

each other

exchanging

information in real

time (10 msec)

including vehicle

size, position, speed,

heading to enable

safety applications

• High safety benefit potential – many different crash types can be addressed

• Technology: Dedicated Short Range Communications (DSRC) at 5.9GHz

• Range: About 300 Meters

• DSRC augments or replaces onboard sensors (radar, camera, etc)

Vision: The Vehicle That Doesn’t Crash

V2V communications technology can augment current onboard sensors to enable 360 degree awareness by the vehicle

NHTSA V2V Program - Status

Significant NHTSA/ US DOT research completed within the last 10 years including:

Safety applications, interoperability, security, human

factors, and driver acceptance

US DOT Decision Announcement (February 2013)

NHTSA to begin work on a regulatory proposal to

require the technology on all new light vehicles

Recent mention by the President on July 15, 2014

Vehicle to Infrastructure (V2I) communications also being developed by US DOT

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Next Gen Technologies: Alcohol Detection (www.dadss.org)

Distant Spectrometry

A breath-based approach which allows measurement of alcohol in the driver’s exhaled breath, and uses carbon dioxide in breath to estimate breath dilution.

Tissue Spectrometry

A touch-based approach which measures alcohol in tissue through detection of light absorption at a particular wavelength from a beam of near-infrared light reflected from within the driver’s tissue

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TruTouch Prototype Autoliv Prototype

Next Gen Tech: Highly Automated “Self Driving” Vehicles

Significant Industry and Academic Research and Testing Integrating steering, braking, throttle control to enable

automated “hands off steering wheel/foot off pedal systems”

Various efforts underway involving an array of organizations

e.g. Google, Vehicle Makers, Universities

State interest Legislation passed in NV, FL, CA, MI, and DC

Potential for safety benefits (reducing driver error), as well as mobility and environmental benefits

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Next Gen Tech: Highly Automated Vehicles

Level 0 No Automation

Level 1 Function- Specific Automation

Level 2 Combined Function Automation

Level 3 Limited Self-Driving

Level 4 Full Self-Driving Automation

NHTSA Preliminary Statement of Policy (May 2013) • Provides guidance to states concerning testing, licensing, and

regulation of “autonomous” or “self driving” vehicles

• Summarizes NHTSA’s planned research areas

Research Underway • Human Factors: How to safety transition the driver in/out of

automated driving modes

• Electronic Control Systems: including cybersecurity

• System performance requirements and tests

Thank You!

Contact Information

Tim Johnson, NHTSA

Ph: 202-366-5664

E-mail: tim.johnson@dot.gov

www.nhtsa.gov

8/19/2014 23 Content in this presentation is US Government work and may be copied and distributed without permission