Precrash System Keeps an "Eye"

Jan. 1, 2020
TOKYO, JAPAN (Sept. 6, 2005) - Toyota Motor Corp. announced that it has developed a new version of its "Pre-Crash Safety System" (PSS) that provides early warning of an imminent collision when it detects the driver is likely not looking straight ahea
TECHNOLOGY FOCUS Precrash System Keeps an "Eye" 
On the Driver

TOKYO, JAPAN (Sept. 6, 2005) - Toyota Motor Corp. announced that it has developed a new version of its "Pre-Crash Safety System" (PSS) that provides early warning of an imminent collision when it detects the driver is likely not looking straight ahead. 

This new version of PSS not only considers obstacles in the path of travel, but also incorporates systems that monitor the driver. The next-generation PSS uses a camera mounted on the steering column and an image-processing computer to detect the orientation of the driver's face. See Figure 1. 

Figure 1: The PSS uses an on-board camara mounted to the steering wheel to monitor the driver's face orientation.
(Illustration: Toyoto Motor Corp.)

Integrated with the previous feature's PSS - millimeter-wave radar, a forward-looking camera to detect other vehicles and obstacles on the road ahead, and braking that is applied when the driver fails to react in time - the system will warn the driver looking somewhere other than the vehicle's direction when a collision is imminent. 

Highway accident data suggests that most vehicle accidents are caused by lack of driver awareness. Until now, pre-crash systems had centered only on the detection of other vehicles and obstacles on the road ahead. This new system takes into consideration the state of the driver and adds two new functions. See Figure 2. 

Figure 2: Order of Operation of the Toyota Pre-Crash Safety System.
(Illustration: Toyota Motor Corp.)

If the system reads that the driver is not facing forward when it determines that the probability of a collision is high, it will warn the driver sooner than when the driver is facing forward. It will also alert the driver prior to the brakes being automatically applied, aiming to lessen collision injuries. 

The next-generation PSS will be offered on a Lexus-brand vehicle due to debut in Japan in the spring of 2006.

(Source: Toyota Motor Corp.)

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