Keeping your eyes off the road

13 October 2003: The days of travelling in a car with your feet up and enjoying the scenery are getting closer - and that includes the driver.

New technology will soon use cameras which will become the driver's eyes and they will be kept firmly on the road. One day you will even be able to switch to automatic mode and just take your hands off the steering wheel.

Still in its early stages, Delphi is one of a number of major suppliers including French company Valeo, working on vision-based Lane Departure Warning technology.

The system will warn the driver should the vehicle start to drift out of lane, helping to greatly reduce one of the largest causes of vehicle collisions.

It does this by fixing the camera's 'eyes' on the white lines of the road. Other identifying points can be programmed in, such as kerbs or hedgerows. A simple warning technology already exists and could appear in cars within the next two years, most likely with upmarket European car makers such as BMW or Mercedes-Benz.

As engineers fine tune the computer algorithms, those eyes will become much more sophisticated.

"The ability to identify all lane guidance lines and to work in many weather and lighting conditions has made this a substantial achievement," said John Nurse, manager of advanced engineering at Delphi Delco Electronics. "We have applied considerable resources to the development and calibration of algorithms to ensure that we have a reliable and robust system that will make a considerable contribution to road safety."

The new system uses a digital camera, typically mounted in the rear view mirror housing, to look up to 25 m ahead of the vehicle. This data is supplemented by vehicle speed data and yaw data (so the computer knows if the vehicle is turning) collected from other systems via the vehicle's high-speed databus.

Nurse said a number of warning strategies could be implemented depending on vehicle manufacturer preference. These include a warning projected onto the windscreen, an audible alarm, a small vibration in the steering wheel or any combination of these and other solutions. In the more distant future, where vehicles are fitted with active steering, the system may even help adjust the line of the car to maintain a safe course.

"It's a great safety feature and the price for volume production is going to be very attractive," said Nurse. "We have had a very high level of interest from vehicle manufacturers, who are all excited by this new Delphi technology and the rigour that we have applied to ensure that it is an affordable yet highly effective solution."

©2003 irishcar.com