Japanese Advanced Safety Vehicle Program Sets Design Guidelines
IVsource.net
30 December 2000

Attracting the attention of other countries, the Japanese are surging forward to define design guidelines that will lead to standards for active safety systems.  A summary of their approach and tentative choices for parameter values are provided here.

The Japanese Advanced Safety Vehicle (ASV) program, sponsored by the Ministry of Transportation (MOT) and involving significant contributed efforts from domestic automakers, has defined a series of design guidelines which provide the basic functions and minimum performance requirements for ASV technology.  Program leaders see these guidelines leading to standards, which they contend are essential to gaining broad social acceptance of advanced safety systems.

The current guidelines are based on extensive human factors work, and are expected to be formally approved by the Japanese government; as such, they are attracting the attention of other government authorities around the world and may serve as a model for other guidelines and regulations.

At the December meeting of the International Task Force on Vehicle-Highway Automation, an overview of the design guidelines was presented by Mr. Shigeru Mori, of the Traffic Safety and Nuisance Research division of the MOT.  In the ASV philosophy, systems are driver-centered -- the technology assists the driver with perception, decision-making, and control, but in the case of conflicts between driver operation and system control, the system gives priority to the driver. 

  Chart provided by the ASV program

Use of roadside information is likewise addressed, and is recognized as a key supporting technology for ASV systems when on-board detection systems are unable to detect hazards.  The ASV guidelines specify, however, that on-board systems always retain the authority to decide what to do with this information. 

ASV functions for driver assistance are focused on information presentation, warning, crash avoidance control, and driver load reduction.  The guidelines address both on-board systems and systems that make use of roadside-delivered information.  Parameter values have been defined for driver response time and vehicle deceleration under certain conditions (see chart below).

Note that during 2001, the Ministries of Transportation and Construction will be combined, which will result in the merger of the ASV program with the MOC's Advanced Cruise-Assist Highway System Research Association (AHSRA). 

 Chart provided by the ASV program

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For More Information ...

... see the MOT's web site at www.motnet.go.jp.

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