Human-Centered Intervention Based on Tactical-Level Input in Unscheduled Takeover Scenarios for Highly-Automated Vehicles

Due to functional limitations in certain situations, the driver receives a request to intervene from automated vehicles operating level 3. Unscheduled intervention of control authority would lead to insufficient situational awareness, then this will make dangerous situations. The purpose of this study is thus to propose tactical-level input (TLI) method with a multimodal driver-vehicle interface (DVI) for the human-centered intervention. The proposed DVI system includes touchscreen, hand-gesture, and haptic interfaces that enable interaction between driver and vehicle, and TLI along with such DVI system can enhance situational awareness. We performed unscheduled takeover experiments using a driving simulator to evaluate the proposed intervention system. The experimental results indicate that TLI can reduce reaction time and driver workload, and moreover, most drivers preferred the use of TLI than manual takeover.