Advanced driver-assistance system
Advanced driver-assistance systems are technologies that assist drivers with the safe operation of a vehicle. Through a human-machine interface, ADAS increases car and road safety. ADAS uses automated technology, such as sensors and cameras, to detect nearby obstacles or driver errors and respond accordingly. ADAS can enable various levels of autonomous driving.
As most road crashes occur due to human error, ADAS are developed to automate, adapt, and enhance vehicle technology for safety and better driving. ADAS is proven to reduce road fatalities by minimizing human error. Safety features are designed to avoid crashes and collisions by offering technologies that alert the driver to problems, implementing safeguards, and taking control of the vehicle if necessary. ADAS may provide adaptive cruise control, assist in avoiding collisions, alert drivers to possible obstacles, warn of lane departure, assist in lane centering, incorporate satellite navigation, provide traffic warnings, provide navigational assistance through smartphones, automate lighting, or provide other features. According to the national crash database in the US, forward collision prevention systems have the potential to reduce crashes by 29%. Similarly, lane keeping assistance is shown to offer a reduction potential of 19%, while blind zone detection could decrease crash incidents by 9%.
According to a 2021 research report from Canalys, approximately 33% of new vehicles sold in the United States, Europe, Japan, and China had ADAS. The firm also predicted that 50% of all automobiles on the road by the year 2030 would be ADAS-enabled.
Terminology
Some groups advocate standardization of the name, such as "forward collision warning" and "automatic emergency braking", rather than "forward collision alert" or "smart city brake support".Such standardization is promoted by AAA, Consumer Reports, J.D. Power, National Safety Council, PAVE, and SAE International.
Concept, history and development
After WWII, an engineer named Nathaniel Korman, who worked on radar systems during WWII, experimented with a system to control the speed of a train based on the speed of a train in front of it, using radar. He noted that it could also be used for on-road vehicles.In 1948, Ralph Teetor applied for a US patent in a "speed control device for resisting operation of the accelerator", or what is now known as cruise control, granted in 1950. General Motors later displayed a concept car in 1959, which used some variation of the system, with radar embedded in the front nacelles of the car.
ADAS were first used in production vehicles in the 1970s with the adoption of the anti-lock braking system. Early ADAS include electronic stability control, anti-lock brakes, blind spot information systems, lane departure warning, adaptive cruise control, and traction control. These systems can be affected by mechanical alignment adjustments or damage from a collision. This has led many manufacturers to require automatic resets for these systems after a mechanical alignment is performed.
Technical concepts
The reliance on data that describes the outside environment of the vehicle, compared to internal data, differentiates ADAS from driver-assistance systems. ADAS rely on inputs from multiple data sources, including automotive imaging, LiDAR, radar, image processing, computer vision, telemetry, and in-car networking. Additional inputs are possible from other sources separate from the primary vehicle platform, such as telematics data from other vehicles and infrastructure. Modern cars have ADAS integrated into their electronics; manufacturers can add these new features during the design process or after production via over-the-air updates.ADAS are considered real-time systems since they react quickly to multiple inputs and prioritize the incoming information to prevent crashes. The systems use preemptive priority scheduling to organize which task needs to be done first. The incorrect assignment of these priorities is what can cause more harm than good.
ADAS levels
Aftermarket ADAS
While most ADAS features are installed by the vehicle manufacturer during production, there is a growing market for aftermarket systems that can be retrofitted to existing vehicles, particularly in commercial fleets. These systems are designed to provide key safety alerts and warnings to drivers of vehicles that were not originally equipped with ADAS.The most common type of aftermarket ADAS is based on computer vision and utilizes a windshield-mounted camera. This device, which often combines the functionality of a dashcam with ADAS software, continuously scans the road ahead. Sometimes they are referred as AI Dashcams. They provide features such as:
- Forward Collision Warning
- Lane Departure Warning
- Pedestrian Collision Warning
Feature examples
This list is not a comprehensive list of all of the ADAS. Instead, it provides information on critical examples of ADAS that have progressed and become more commonly available since 2015.Alerts and warnings
- Blind spot monitor involves cameras that monitor the driver's blind spots and notify the driver if any obstacles come close to the vehicle. Blind spots are defined as the areas behind or at the side of the vehicle that the driver cannot see from the driver's seat. Blind-spot monitoring systems typically work in conjunction with emergency braking systems to act accordingly if any obstacles come into the vehicle's path. A rear cross-traffic alert typically works in conjunction with the blind spot monitoring system, warning the driver of approaching cross traffic when reversing out of a parking spot.
- Driver drowsiness detection aims to prevent collisions due to driver fatigue. The vehicle obtains information, such as facial patterns, steering movement, driving habits, turn signal use, and driving velocity, to determine if the driver's activities correspond with drowsy driving. If drowsy driving is suspected, the vehicle will typically sound off a loud alert and may vibrate the driver's seat.
- Driver monitoring system is designed to monitor the alertness of the driver. These systems use biological and performance measures to assess the driver's alertness and ability to conduct safe driving practices, which can be used for driver scoring. Currently, these systems use infrared sensors and cameras to monitor the driver's attentiveness through eye-tracking. If the vehicle detects a possible obstacle, it will notify the driver, and if no action is taken, the vehicle may react to the obstacle.
- Electric vehicle warning sounds notify pedestrians and cyclists that a hybrid or plug-in electric vehicle is nearby, typically delivered through a noise, such as a beep or horn. This technology was developed in response to the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration ruling that issued 50 percent of quiet vehicles must have a device implemented into their systems that sound off when the vehicle travels at speeds less than 30 km/h by September 2019.
- Forward collision warning monitors the speed of the vehicle and, the vehicle in front of it, and the open distance around the vehicle. FCW systems will send an alert to the driver of a possible impending collision if gets too close to the vehicle in front of it. These systems do not take control of the vehicle, as currently, FCW systems only send an alert signal to the driver in the form of an audio alert, visual pop-up display, or other warning alert.
- Intelligent speed adaptation or intelligent speed advice assists drivers with compliance with the speed limit. They take in information about the vehicle's position and notify the driver when they are not enforcing the speed limit. Some ISA systems allow the vehicle to adjust its speed to adhere to the relative speed limit. Other ISA systems only warn the driver when they are going over the speed limit and leave it up to the driver to enforce the speed limit or not.
- Intersection assistants use two radar sensors in the front bumper and sides of the car to monitor if there are any oncoming cars at intersections, highway exits, or car parks. This system alerts the driver of any upcoming traffic from the vehicle's sides. It can enact the vehicle's emergency braking system to prevent a collision.
- Lane departure warning system alerts the driver when they partially merge into a lane without using their turn signals. An LDW system uses cameras to monitor lane markings to determine if the driver unintentionally begins to drift. This system does not take control of the vehicle to help sway the car back into the safety zone but instead sends an audio or visual alert to the driver.
- Parking sensors can scan the vehicle's surroundings for objects when the driver initiates parking. Audio warnings can notify the driver of the distance between the vehicle and its surrounding objects. Typically, the faster the audio warnings are issued, the closer the vehicle is getting to the object. These sensors may not detect objects closer to the ground, such as parking stops, which is why parking sensors typically work alongside backup cameras to assist the driver when reversing into a parking spot.Image:TPMS warning icon.svg|thumb|right|upright=0.7|TPMS low pressure warning icon
- Tire pressure monitoring determine when the tire pressure is outside the normal inflation pressure range. The driver can monitor the tire pressure and is notified when there is a sudden drop through a pictogram display, gauge, or low-pressure warning signal.
- Vibrating seat warnings alert the driver of danger. GM's Cadillacs have offered vibrating seat warnings since the 2013 Cadillac ATS. If the driver begins drifting out of the traveling lane of a highway, the seat vibrates in the direction of the drift, warning the driver of danger. The safety alert seat also provides a vibrating pulse on both sides of the seat when a frontal threat is detected.
- Wrong-way driving warning issue alerts to drivers when it is detected that they are on the wrong side of the road. Vehicles with this system enacted can use sensors and cameras to identify the direction of oncoming traffic flow. In conjunction with lane detection services, this system can also notify drivers when they partially merge into the wrong side of the road