Continental hands over research vehicle - Half Time for PRORETA 3 – Driver assistance system for urban traffic
In addition to researching new advanced driver assistance systems, ones that are already available are also being interlinked and functional synergies are being exploited. With regard to the interaction between system and driver, new and more powerful human-machine interfaces are being looked into. The concept is based on a modular system architecture. After the jointly developed concept was incorporated into a Continental research vehicle, the second phase of the project will now focus on the practical testing: the goal is to demonstrate the effectiveness of the concept under real-life driving conditions. The project will run until autumn 2014.
Individual assistance systems are interlinked
"In complex traffic scenarios such as urban traffic, it can be especially difficult to identify hazards and respond appropriately to a given situation", said Dr. Peter Rieth, Senior Vice President of Systems & Technology in Continental's Chassis & Safety Division. This is where PRORETA 3 comes in: during the first phase of the project, the researchers developed a high-performance system architecture and more powerful functions for perceiving vehicle surroundings by interlinking various advanced driver assistance systems. "To date, assistance systems such as Lane Keeping Assistant or collision warning have functioned as independent systems within the vehicle. By interlinking them, we can make optimum use of the existing sensor infrastructure in the vehicle", said Professor Hermann Winner, head of the institute "Fahrzeugtechnik" at TU Darmstadt and PRORETA 3 project manager. To monitor the area around the vehicle, the research vehicle uses a production-ready sensor system. This is fitted with a stereo camera and a long-range radar sensor at the front and four short-range radar sensors for monitoring the area to the side and rear of the vehicle.
Based on this system of sensors, the researchers at TU Darmstadt have created the concept of a "safety corridor". If the vehicle strays outside the safety corridor due to the driver making an error or being distracted, for instance, the driver is alerted and assisted where necessary through active system intervention with steering and braking. "In complex urban traffic scenarios, the interaction between driver and assistance system must be optimized so that the driver understands the instructions intuitively and can respond accordingly", said Dr. Peter Rieth. PRORETA 3 has therefore involved the testing of various concepts that also include information about the driver's behavior.
The research vehicle is equipped with an interior infrared camera which identifies in which direction the driver is looking. The vehicle then knows if the driver is looking at the road ahead or somewhere else. Further information is provided by the way in which the driver operates the steering wheel, accelerator and brake pedal, while the driver assistance systems provide data on the level of risk. Together with an intelligent accelerator pedal that can communicate with the driver by exerting counterpressure or vibrating, and acoustic signals, the LED strip light known as "Halo", Greek for "light ring", also forms a key part of the human-machine interface. The Halo is interlinked with both the interior infrared camera and the various driver assistance systems. This forms the core element of a human-machine interface designed to direct the driver's attention to hazards around the vehicle depending on the surroundings and driver status in cases where a hazard is detected outside the driver's field of vision. In this case, an early warning can be issued and the driver can then respond accordingly. If the hazard is within the driver's field of vision, then only an acute alert is issued. If the driver is visually distracted, a warning can be issued if the situation has not yet become critical. The Halo covers the entire vehicle interior and can be illuminated in various colors to reflect the different levels of urgency. The driver perceives this peripherally and his attention is almost intuitively drawn back in the right direction. Within the safety corridor, partially automated driving is also possible with the aid of a longitudinal and lateral guidance system – the system can perform certain driving maneuvers independently, thereby supporting and relieving the stress on the driver.
PRORETA – collaborative research project with long-standing tradition
Darmstadt Technical University and Continental's Chassis & Safety Division have been working on joint research projects since the 1980s. The first collaborative PRORETA research project (2002-2006) examined emergency braking and emergency steer assistance when traffic ahead is moving or stationary. Experiments carried out as part of PRORETA 2 (2006-2009) focused on an overtaking assistant to prevent accidents with oncoming vehicles. PRORETA 3 involves the automotive engineering, ergonomics, control theory & robotics, and control engineering and mechatronics institutes at Technische Universität (TU) Darmstadt which make an important contribution to the collaborative research project. "We believe that it is one of our company's duties to strengthen cooperation between universities and industry and to introduce students and research associates as early as possible to industry-related development issues. We want to make a positive contribution in this area. It helps us to advance our vision of driving without accidents", underlined Dr. Rieth.
Provided by Technische Universitat Darmstadt
