Honda Motor Co., Ltd. began lease sales in Japan today of a Legend Hybrid EX equipped with Honda Sensing Elite featuring the Traffic Jam Pilot function, which it says is the first SAE Level 3 automated technology to be recognized by Japanese authorities. Its development is part of the company’s effort to realize a collision-free society based on its global safety slogan, “Safety for Everyone.”
The “elite” Traffic Jam Pilot technology qualifies for Level 3 automated driving (conditional automated driving in limited area), for which the company received type designation from the Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT)—which it announced in November. Traffic Jam Pilot technology enables the automated driving system to drive the vehicle under certain conditions, such as when the vehicle is in congested traffic on an expressway.
The system determines vehicle position and road conditions using data from three-dimensional high-definition maps and the GNSS (global navigation satellite system), detecting the vehicle’s 360-degree surroundings using several external sensors. It also tracks driver “condition” using a monitoring camera inside the vehicle. Based on a range of information, the main ECU makes proper recognitions, predictions, and decisions and applies a high-level control to acceleration, braking, and steering inputs to assist the driver “to achieve high-quality and smooth driving.”
As most AV system developers are increasingly doing, Honda engineers leaned heavily on simulations to prioritize system safety and reliability. The company says that a total of about 10 million patterns of possible real-world situations were simulated, and several demonstration tests were conducted while driving test vehicles on expressways for a total of about 1.3 million km (800,000 mi). The system incorporates many redundancies to ensure safety and reliability if problems arise.
Honda says that company designers wanted the car to have an appearance befitting a flagship sedan while discreetly calling out that it was equipped for automated driving. Design changes that distinguish the special Legend model include exterior blue accessory lights and dedicated aluminum wheels. Several sensors are embedded to make them less noticeable.
Interior equipment changes for the special Legend model include the Honda Sensing Elite indicator with carefully selected positions, sizes, colors, brightness, and other details—as well as the 12.3-in full-LCD graphic meter. The changes were adopted to ensure an intuitive understanding of operation status, current situation, and any requests to transfer back control to the driver.
Honda Sensing Elite indicator lights are positioned on the steering wheel, the top part of the navigation screen, and the glovebox. When the Hands-off Function is activated, the indicator light on the steering wheel illuminates, and when Traffic Jam Pilot is activated, other blue indicators illuminate. When the system requests a handover to the driver, all indicator lights change to orange and blink to send an easy-to-understand message to the driver.
The company detailed key features and functionalities of the Honda Sensing Elite system.
While driving with ACC (adaptive cruise control) with Low-Speed Follow and LKAS (Lane Keeping Assist System) activated when certain conditions are satisfied on an expressway, “hands-off” functionality assists the driving operations even while the driver has their hands off the steering wheel.
With Adaptive in Lane Driving, the system assists in following a car in front within a lane, driving the vehicle along the middle of the lane while maintaining the pre-set vehicle speed. When there is a car in front, the system assists in following while maintaining a proper following distance.
While driving using Adaptive in Lane Driving, when the driver confirms safe surroundings and activates the turn signal, the system’s Active Lane Change Assist with Hands-off Function assists acceleration/deceleration and steering for the lane change.
While driving using Adaptive in Lane Driving, when the driver switches on the Active Lane Change with Hands-off Function, the system assesses the situation and assists the lane change and/or passing of another vehicle under certain conditions. When the system detects a car in front being driven at low speed, the system notifies the driver and then assists with passing and returning to the original lane.
When the vehicle gets caught in traffic congestion under certain conditions while using Adaptive in Lane Driving, the system’s Traffic Jam Pilot takes control of acceleration, braking, and steering while monitoring the vehicle’s surroundings for the driver. The system drives, stops, and resumes driving within the same lane while maintaining a proper following distance in accordance with the speed of the vehicle in front. While the vehicle is under system control, the driver can watch television or DVDs on the navigation screen or operate the navigation system to search for a destination address. This helps reduce driver fatigue and stress while in a traffic jam.
In case the driver does not respond to the system’s handover requests as the Traffic Jam Pilot/Hands-off Function are being disengaged, the system’s Emergency Stop Assist further urges the driver to respond to the handover request using visual, auditory, and tactile alerts including escalated alarm sounds and vibration on the driver’s seatbelt. If the driver continues to be unresponsive, the system assists in decelerating and stopping the vehicle while alerting other vehicles around using hazard lights and the horn. When there is a road shoulder, the system assists deceleration and lane changes until the vehicle reaches the shoulder of the road for a safe stop.
