Human Centered Design of a Pre-collision System

Human error such as distraction and inattention while driving is one of the major causes of the rear-end collisions. In order to help reduce those accidents, a pre-collision system (PCS) has been developed and spread. A PCS basically consists of the warning, the brake-assist, and the autonomous brake functions. The total effectiveness of the system depends on not only the autonomous brake performance but also the driver's reaction to the warning and the braking maneuver. Earlier activation timing can make the system more effective in terms of collision mitigation/avoidance; however, the drivers may feel nuisance if the timing is too early. Thus, human factors issue should be considered in designing and evaluating a PCS. This paper describesthe human-centered design of a PCS from object recognition to the effectiveness estimation method.