Driver assistance systems, a long way to AHS

Summary form only given. Research on AHS has shown potentialities for high benefits. Mainly done during the 1990s, research has shown, how high, potentalities lie in automated highway systems (AHS). The highest research effort was done in US. More recently, France and UK have investigated the concept taking account their own national demand and networks characteristics. All studies conclude on high flow capacities to be expected depending on the possibilities to deploy few robust generic functions, autonomous and cooperative. Subjacent technologies rely on perception techniques, localisation and telecommunications. Although, discussions and conclusions on the deployment were different, it is wise to conclude that AHS should be deployed in progressive steps through driver assistance functions (that are different for cars and trucks) with respect to the subjecent technologie progresses. This flip-flop movement from AHS to advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) was also justified by high technical commonalities between generic functions that base AHS or ADASE. The talk addresses some results obtained through a study conducted for the French ministry of transport between 1998 and 2004. A proliferation of research projects on ADASE all over the world VII succeeds to IVI in US, SmartCruise 21 is proving the benefits of the ADAS concept in Japan through experiments. In Europe, the sixth framework program encompasses many projects covering autonomous and cooperative systems through technical, driver related and societal topics. France has developed its own projects: ARCOS, SARI...as a follow up, a cluster related to "cars and networks of the future" is emerging in the Paris region. Difficulties to be overcome, new research areas to investigate The rationale of all those projects was mainly oriented toward improving the safety of the interactions. The author as project coordinator of the French national project ARCOS had the opportunity to go deeply in investigating non technical and technical topics related to deploying ADAS. The talk reports some difficulties/results/lessons learnt/good ideas to orient the research in this topic. Perspectives: from ADASE to AHS, at last, it will be stated on the fact that like in France, research on safety could briefly leave the floor to research on improving flow capacity and fuel savings. Following that new flip-flop movement, some ideas will be given to go forward in order to undertake specific AHS deployment within a short term. It will address some way of coupling autonomous and cooperative solutions through V-V, V-I distributed systems and develop a concept of progressive cooperative driving: V-V