Development of a Driver Assistance System

The dual concepts of driver-vehicle cooperative operation and interaction were applied to a driver assistance device intended to lighten the operation load on the driver and reduce the occurrence of accidents. This addressed the concern that such devices would reduce driver motivation or cause other such problems. A full-scale driver assistance device capable of use throughout the expressway system was put into commercial production as the Honda Intelligent Driver Assistance System (HIDS) and installed on the Accord in October 2002. The lane keeping assistance employs the integration (cooperation) of driver operation and system support together with a new concept called the Human/Machine Interaction System (HMIS). The system has newly acquired approval from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.

This article will report on the conceptual approach and substance of this system, and present the results of a survey on its effectiveness and influence on the driver.