Autonomous Vehicle Engineering - September 2021 - 16

ADAS
"
Ford has always known that driver-in-the-loop - driver engagement -
is a critical component of these features being successful.
"
BlueCruise: Driver engagement is critical
Ford engineer Dianne Liyana is a technical specialist on the BlueCruise development
team. She spoke with SAE Media during a BlueCruise demo drive
about what she calls the " key component " of ADAS features.
What is Ford doing to clear up some of the ambiguities related to driver-assistance
technology that's causing confusion for the end customer?
This started when a certain automaker made misleading statements about
the capabilities of their driver-assistance system. That, unfortunately
set the tone for this space. Going forward, Ford has always known that
driver-in-the-loop - driver engagement - is a critical component of these
features being successful. In addition to our committing to driver monitoring,
we have user-interface studies regarding the customer's ability to understand
what we're communicating to the driver. That's a key component
for us for these systems, regardless of the SAE level.
A growing number of engineers and planners see SAE Level 3 as a non-starter.
That's because of the inability to properly control that handoff [from
ADAS system to driver], or how quickly that handoff might need to
happen. Outward facing, I don't refer to the [SAE] levels because I don't
expect the average consumer to know what the level means. I refer to the
feature and the expectation it has with the consumer. Our job is to communicate
our expectation for that feature. The expectation for BlueCruise,
our Level 2, is that you will be able
to experience hands-free driving
and reduced stress - but we
require your 100% attentiveness
with it. BlueCruise has some error-proofing
engineered into it to
prevent flat-out abuse: You cannot
move to the back seat when this
system is engaged!
To effectively communicate
what Level 2 technologies provide,
the industry could put it very
simply: We expect you to always
watch the road.
Dianne Liyana.
Lindsay Brooke
and is expected to eventually be a cross-portfolio
offering. (See https://www.sae.org/news/2021/04/
ford-bluecruise-hands-free-driver-assistance.)
" Ford is taking a 'building blocks' approach
to driver assistance technology, " explained Justin
Teems, one of the patent holders and manager of the
company's Active Driver Assist Features team. At a
BlueCruise demonstration drive for media in early
August attended by SAE Media, Teems and other
experts stressed that the driver-monitoring " block "
" Part of our testing is making sure that if anything happens
within a hands-free zone, the driver has time to put their
hands back on the wheel, " said Ford engineer Shane Larkin.
is essential - and non-debatable among engineers
and planners - for hands-free driving features.
" Certainly, the technology is developing rapidly;
it's leaps-and-bounds beyond where it was two years
ago, " added Shane Larkin, an engineering supervisor in
Teems' group. " But Ford is proceeding conservatively
to ensure that the driver is always paying attention to
the road ahead. Our aim with BlueCruise is to reduce
driver stress and fatigue without compromising safety. "
Larkin rode 'shotgun' during our demo drive in
a hybrid-propulsion F-150 on busy metro Detroit
freeways, guiding the author through BlueCruise's
simple functions. As we accelerated down the freeway
onramp into 80-mph (129-km/h), truck-intense traffic,
I moved the pickup into the center lane. Following
Larkin's prompt, I tried to engage the hands-free
function. This requires actuating the adaptive cruise
control (ACC) then pressing an icon on the steering
wheel. Also required: driving in a " Hands-Free Blue
Zone, " part of some 130,000 miles (209,000 km) of
U.S. (37 states to date) and Canadian (five provinces)
divided highways that Ford has GPS-mapped and
digitized for BlueCruise driving.
In my first attempted deployment, however,
the driver-recognition system (with driver-facing
infrared camera mounted on the steering column)
16 September 2021
AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE ENGINEERING
Lindsay Brooke
Lindsay Brooke
https://www.sae.org/news/2021/04/ford-bluecruise-hands-free-driver-assistance
Autonomous Vehicle Engineering - September 2021

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