What is Advanced Driver Assistance Systems(ADAS)?

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that more than 36,000 Americans lost their lives in car accidents in only 2019 alone. 94% of the collisions were reportedly the result of human error, or mistakes committed by the driver, according to the NHTSA's August 2016 Traffic Safety Facts Research Note.

 

Given this fact, it is simple to envision how many lives could be spared by efficient ADAS systems that avoided many of these mistakes. In fact, according to the IIHS (the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety), even the ADAS systems that are now in use might avoid or mitigate the consequences of 1.8 million accidents annually, potentially sparing up to 10,000 lives.

 

There are many ADAS levels, ranging from basic backup cameras and blind-spot sensors to lane departure warning systems, adaptive cruise control, self-parking, and more. Truly autonomous, or "self-driving," cars that do not require a human driver will be the ultimate use of ADAS in the future. However, ADAS safety features are already making driving safer every day, even if it will be years before completely driverless vehicles become commonplace.

 

To develop ADAS technology, businesses from all over the world are investing billions of dollars. Today, it might be challenging to locate an automaker that does not allocate a sizable budget to ADAS technology. Just a few examples are General Motors, Volvo, Toyota, Ford, Volkswagen, Tesla, BMW, and Audi. Almost every vehicle, truck, and bus manufacturer in the world is included on the lengthy list.

 

Also Read | What is Ambient Intelligence?

 

What is ADAS?

 

Advanced Driver Assistance Technologies (ADAS) are passive and active safety systems created to eliminate human mistakes from driving a variety of automobiles. ADAS systems employ cutting-edge technology to aid the driver while they are driving and so enhance their performance. 

 

ADAS makes use of a variety of sensor technologies to understand the environment surrounding the car and, if necessary, either inform the driver or take action. ADAS systems are being used in military, agricultural, construction, and commercial vehicles as well as automobiles, trucks, and buses.

 

ADAS functions by warning the driver of risk or even intervening to avert a collision. Autonomous driving assistance systems (ADAS) enable cars to perceive their surroundings, interpret this data fast and correctly in a computer system, and then provide the driver with the appropriate output.

 

The architecture of the ADAS system is made up of several sensors, interfaces, and a potent computer processor that combines all the data and makes choices in real time. These sensors continuously scan the area surrounding the vehicle and transmit their findings to the onboard ADAS computers for prioritizing and response. Today, they are averting accidents that would have occurred without ADAS, saving lives in the process. These technologies will eventually allow for completely autonomous automobiles.

 

The most significant form of development taking place right now is ADAS. Of course, electric and hybrid vehicle innovations are ongoing, and both are crucial for lowering greenhouse gas emissions and the usage of fossil fuels.

 

The most crucial part of travel is human safety, which is directly addressed by ADAS. Every development in ADAS has an obvious and definitive impact on reducing injuries and deaths because more than 90% of traffic accidents, injuries, and fatalities are the result of human mistakes.

 

Also Read | What is Cloud Robotics?

 

Working of ADAS:

 

Advanced driving-assistance systems (ADAS) are electronic systems in a car that employ cutting-edge technologies to help the driver. The phrases "ADAS" and "active safety" are sometimes used interchangeably because they might contain a variety of active safety elements.

 

ADAS makes use of internal sensors like radar and cameras to sense the environment around it. Depending on what it discovers, it either informs the driver or reacts automatically.

 

The word "warning" will most frequently appear in the name of an ADAS component that provides information. For instance, features like blind spot warning or rear backup warning will inform the driver if the car detects an item, such as another car or a bicycle, in a place where the driver might not be able to see them. The system may also activate a lane departure warning to notify the driver if it detects that the car is veering off course.

 

When these detections are combined with a system that does more than just issue a warning, ADAS transforms into an active safety system, which means the car will "actively" regulate steering or brakes. The word "assistance" appears most frequently in the names of these characteristics.

 

The capacity of ADAS to save lives can be significantly increased by these features. As an illustration, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety discovered that forward collision warning systems reduce front-to-rear collisions by 27%; when the system additionally can autonomously stop, that statistic almost doubles. Rear automatic braking reduces backing collisions by a whopping 78%, compared to rearview cameras' 17% reduction.

 

A vehicle can keep a safe distance from the car in front of it by using adaptive cruise control, which is a propulsion feature included in ADAS. Under some circumstances, such as highway driving or stop-and-go traffic, more advanced ADAS capabilities may even be able to manage steering and propulsion without the driver having to actively intervene. These active safety systems, often known as Level 2+ systems, offer some of the most sophisticated features currently on the market.

 

Difference between ADAS and automated driving:

 

In an ADAS system, the driver is still actively involved in operating the vehicle, or "in the loop." They may not always need to have their hands on the wheel or their feet on the pedals, but they are still ultimately in charge of ensuring the car is operated safely. Driver status sensing systems will be used by several OEMs to assist guarantee that drivers remain attentive. When driving is automated, the driver is allowed to be "out of the loop" and the car is in charge.

 

The ensuing rise in software is generating an imminent requirement for much more powerful computation as vehicles adopt more ADAS capabilities and progress toward autonomous driving. The intelligence is removed from the sensors and centrally located in some powerful domain controllers using the innovative Satellite Architecture technique, which increases performance, reuse, and upgradeability while decreasing sensor mass and volume. This strategy is hastening the deployment of ADAS by offering new capabilities at a reduced overall cost and with maximum reusability.

 

Types of ADAS:

 

There are two categories of advanced driver assistance systems:

 

1. Passive ADAS systems:

 

Regardless of the quantity or kind of sensors used, a passive ADAS system notifies the driver of a hazardous situation. To prevent an accident brought on by this situation, the driver must take action. Typical warning devices include sirens, flashing lights, and, occasionally, tactile feedback, such as a steering wheel vibrating to notify the driver that the zone they are entering has already been occupied by another vehicle (blind spot detection). 

 

The driver gets vital information that enables him to make the best decisions possible while driving. A human-machine interface used by passive ADAS transmits real-time information about the road environment and warns of potential hazards (HMI). Visual, aural, and tactile are the three ways of data transmission. The architecture of ADAS data display has typically made considerable use of visual and audible alarms. 

 

Intuitive visual cues may be utilized to convey a variety of messages utilizing color and symbolic information. The main strategy for disseminating information is this one. Systems can provide visual alerts on the dashboard or center console of a car. However, doing so can cause gaps in the driver's attention known as "eyes off the road."

 

2. Active ADAS systems:

 

With these ADAS systems, the vehicle moves actively. The car is capable of acting autonomously to avert worst-case circumstances. Without the driver's aid, automatic emergency braking (AEB) recognizes an imminent collision and applies the brakes. Lane-keeping assistance, lane centering, adaptive cruise control, and traffic congestion assistance are all functional features. 

 

The host car's speed is automatically changed by the Active ADAS System from its pre-set setting if a slower vehicle is in its path (as in regular cruise control). To keep the car inside the lane lines, LKA and LC automatically steer it. Traffic jam assist is a combination of lane centering and adaptive cruise control (ACC) when there is traffic congestion (LC). These automated components provide the basis of cars that are partially or completely autonomous.

 

 

Applications of ADAS:

 

The installation of cameras in the car requires the development of new artificial intelligence (AI) parts that employ sensor fusion to recognize and assess things. Large volumes of data may be merged using sensor fusion, lidar, radar, ultrasonic sensors, and image recognition software. 

 

This technology can physically react more quickly than a human driver by watching live streams of videos, analyzing what it sees, and deciding how to respond. The most well-known ADAS systems are used in the applications below:

---

Applications of ADAS

---

 

1. Adaptive cruise control:

 

Adaptive cruise control (ACC) is particularly useful on highways where drivers frequently find it difficult to sustain awareness of their speed and other vehicles for extended periods. Advanced cruise control may automatically speed up, slow down, and occasionally stop the car depending on the movements of adjacent objects. Drivers can select a speed thanks to this sophisticated driving aid technology. 

 

It will automatically apply the brakes and accelerate as necessary based on the distance between it and the vehicle in front. As technology advances, you could now come across systems with a stop-and-go capability, which automatically slows the automobile to a complete stop behind another vehicle before resuming its normal pace.

 

2. Blind spot monitoring:

 

Sensors from blind spot detection systems provide drivers access to information that would otherwise be inaccessible. When certain systems detect an impediment in the driver's blind zone, they may send out a warning signal (e.g., the driver attempts to enter an occupied lane). In 78% of all lane-change incidents, the driver was not aware of the risk in the new lane. 

 

Drivers can identify and be alerted to vehicles that are hiding in their blind spots and cannot be seen with the help of blindspot warning systems. To alert the driver that merging or changing lanes is risky creates a haptic warning that can be either visual, audible or both. Numerous systems will also alert you if you use your indicators when there is another vehicle in the lane ahead of you.

 

3. Adaptive headlights:

 

Adaptive headlights follow the path of the road and improve night vision by illuminating the roadside rather than the actual road by responding to the vehicle's speed and steering wheel movement. The projectors in front of the headlight housing will sync when a lock is attached, changing the beam to follow the road and focusing lights downward to lessen glare for approaching vehicles. 

 

The headlights of a car are adjusted to the lighting environment by adaptive light control. High beams with no glare and pixel lights use sensors to adjust to the darkness and environment without obstructing oncoming traffic. This cutting-edge lighting program recognizes the lights of other vehicles and guides the car's lights away from them, shielding other road users from momentary blinding.

 

4. Following distance warning:

 

Following distance warning (FCW) uses a variety of integrated technologies, including lasers, radar, infrared, ultrasonic, visual imaging, and occasionally cameras, to keep track of the speed and distance of the vehicle in front of it. The driver will be alerted of an impending accident with a vehicle or object that is immediately in its path. FCW devices can prevent 9 to 53% of rear-end collisions and between 19 and 60% of injured drivers.

 

5. Automatic parking:

 

Drivers can know when and how to turn the steering wheel and come to a complete stop when automatic parking warns them of blind spots. Compared to standard side mirrors, rearview cameras offer a better picture of the surroundings. Some frameworks may even be able to finish parking by combining the input from several sensors without the driver's help.

 

Additionally, self-service valet parking makes use of it. The position of the car, its intended location, and the safest path to get there are all disclosed by the sensors in the vehicle. The vehicle's acceleration, braking, and maneuvering are carefully controlled using this information up until it is safely parked.

 

6. Navigation system:

 

Navigation systems enable drivers to follow a route while still paying attention to the road by using on-screen instructions and audio signals. Specific navigation systems can provide accurate traffic data and, if necessary, propose a different route to avoid traffic jams. Heads-up displays (HuD) may be a feature of sophisticated systems to prevent driver attention from being diverted. 

 

Drivers can see items that are ordinarily difficult or impossible to notice at night thanks to night vision devices. Passive night vision systems, which rely on the thermal energy generated by vehicles, animals, and other objects, and active night vision systems, of course, are the two types of night vision installations that are often accessible.

 

7. Detection of driver drowsiness:

 

Driver drowsiness detection warns drivers of potential traffic risks such as fatigue. There are several ways to determine whether a driver's focus is waning. In one instance, sensors can evaluate the driver's pulse rate and head movement to see whether they indicate tiredness. Other devices provide warnings for driving that resemble lane-detection warning signals.

 

Conclusion:

 

ADAS is currently a standard feature in cars all over the world, coming standard with the majority of contemporary automobile versions. According to a 2022 Consumer Reports study, ADAS technologies including backup cameras (69%), blindspot alerts (64%), and adaptive cruise control (63%), are well-liked by car owners. ADAS systems may gather information from the linked world around them to allow even larger functionality as urban surroundings increasingly transform into smart cities.