Switching from autopilot to the driver: A transient performance analysis

One of the main safety concerns associated with semi-autonomous vehicles is the sharing of control between a human driver and an autonomous driving system. Even with an attentive driver, such switches in control may pose a threat to the safety of the driver and the surrounding vehicles. The aim of this study is to develop an indicator that can measure the level of safety during a driver take-over, using knowledge about the system known a priori. A model-based approach is used to analyse the system with special focus on the lateral dynamics of the vehicle. The driver and the vehicle are modelled as linear systems, and a path tracking controller is used to serve as an autonomous system. With this structure, shared control is studied as a switched system, in which the vehicle’s lateral control switches between the autonomous system and the driver. A bound on the transient dynamics that arise due to a switch is derived, using the induced [Formula: see text] norm. This bound is then used to formulate an indicator that checks if the states/outputs of interest are within acceptable limits. A comparison with simulation results has shown that the indicator successfully captures the effect of different system parameters on take-over safety, although in a slightly conservative manner. This indicator can be further developed as a tool to be used in the design and evaluation of shared-/multi-modal control systems in future vehicles.

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Effect of Driver Posture on Driving Characteristics when Control is Passed from an Autonomous Driving System to a Human Driver

10.4271/2018-01-1173 ◽

2018 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Kensuke Suzuki ◽

Masato Gokan ◽

Shoko Oikawa ◽

Yasuhiro Matsui ◽

Toshiya Hirose

Keyword(s):

Autonomous Driving ◽

Driving System ◽

Human Driver ◽

Autonomous Driving System

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Drivers’ trust in an autonomous system

Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting ◽

10.1177/1541931213601308 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 60 (1) ◽

pp. 1334-1338 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Timothy J. Wright ◽

William J. Horrey ◽

Mary F. Lesch ◽

Md Mahmudur Rahman

Keyword(s):

Autonomous Vehicles ◽

Autonomous System ◽

Driving Simulator ◽

Body Movement ◽

Autonomous Driving ◽

Behavioral Measure ◽

Body Movements ◽

Trust In Automation ◽

Future Work ◽

Autonomous Driving System

Drivers’ trust in automation will likely determine the extent that autonomous and semi-autonomous vehicles are adopted, and once adopted, used properly. Unfortunately, previous studies have typically utilized overt subjective measures in determining an individual’s level of trust in automation. The current study aims to evaluate a covert behavioral measure of trust based on drivers’ body (head, hand, and foot) movements as they experience a simulated autonomous system. Videos of drivers interacting with an autonomous driving system in a driving simulator were coded. Body movement counts and average durations were derived from this coding and these data were compared across quartile rankings (based on self-reported trust) to examine body movements’ sensitivity to drivers’ level of trust. Results suggest body movements are not sensitive to individual differences in reported trust. Future work should further examine the utility of this covert behavioral metric by further examining situational differences.

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Autonomy and Responsibility in Hybrid Systems

10.1093/oso/9780190652951.003.0003 ◽

2017 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Wulf Loh ◽

Janina Loh

Keyword(s):

Hybrid Systems ◽

Hybrid System ◽

Moral Dilemma ◽

Autonomous Driving ◽

Shared Responsibility ◽

Driving System ◽

Autonomous Cars ◽

Self Driving Cars ◽

Trolley Cases ◽

Autonomous Driving System

In this chapter, we give a brief overview of the traditional notion of responsibility and introduce a concept of distributed responsibility within a responsibility network of engineers, driver, and autonomous driving system. In order to evaluate this concept, we explore the notion of man–machine hybrid systems with regard to self-driving cars and conclude that the unit comprising the car and the operator/driver consists of such a hybrid system that can assume a shared responsibility different from the responsibility of other actors in the responsibility network. Discussing certain moral dilemma situations that are structured much like trolley cases, we deduce that as long as there is something like a driver in autonomous cars as part of the hybrid system, she will have to bear the responsibility for making the morally relevant decisions that are not covered by traffic rules.

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