The automotive industry is evolving at a surprising speed and one of the fields to which most efforts and resources are being devoted -in addition to the electrification of the fleet, connectivity and the autonomous vehicle- is traffic accident prevention. That is why all vehicles approved since last July 1 or new ones that are marketed from 2024 must carry eight ADAS systems (Advanced Driving Assistance Systems, for its acronym in English), among which a fatigue and drowsiness detector stands out, a kind of Big Brother on board.
Tiredness or sleep reduces reflexes and concentration behind the wheel, as well as vision. According to the General Directorate of Traffic (DGT), between 20% and 30% of accidents recorded in Spain are related to fatigue, so this detector will literally save lives.
How does this system work?
The fatigue alert is integrated by a camera that focuses directly on the driver’s face and identifies symptoms of sleep or tiredness. If you find any signs of numbness, emits a sound and light alarm on the instrument panel in the form of a cup of coffee or a text message inviting the pilot to rest. The steering wheel can incorporate a sensor to analyze the pressure that the driver exerts, the movements of the hands and the changes in direction. Furthermore, the engine control unit will take into account the time the engine has been running. Some vehicles also use ESP to calculate steering angle changes. Or through the front camera that reads the lines of the road, if they step on more than they should.
As the DGT itself recalls, the first fatigue detection systems were introduced as early as 1920. A very basic system compared to the current ones, which will evolve even more in the coming years through artificial intelligence, learning the patterns of each driver, or with the use of intelligent textile materials.
The other seven ADAS systems that are already mandatory are the assistants cross traffic detection (facilitates reversing maneuvers and warns of the presence of possible obstacles), smart speed (will force you to respect speed limits), emergency braking (the car stops only if it detects an obstacle on the road), warning of unintentional lane change (very common already in most models), breathalyser (allows to know the level of blood alcohol of the driver and block the vehicle), black box (collects information about the car and its occupants) and rear seat belt alertmany of which are already standard equipment on a large part of the new models.
The CTAG has spent years developing this type of attendees for multinationals such as Stellantis
In Porriño, the Galician Automotive Technology Center (CTAG) has been helping to develop this type of assistant for yearsfrom the first traffic sign detectors to the latest ADAS that are evolving automated driving.
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In fact, CTAG is a benchmark in everything related to human-machine interaction, the HMI (Human Machine Interface), and many of its works have been incorporated by top-level OEMs, including, of course, Stellantis.
The European Union wants that, starting this year, all new cars mount a specific series of electronic assistants that increase your safety and implements it as mandatory standard equipment. With this project, the European Parliament wants to reduce accidental deaths in the European Community to zero by 2050.