14 DAY TRIAL // Toyota reaffirms its role as innovation spearhead with the development of a new type of sensor that is capable of understanding when a driver is tired or has fallen asleep while behind the wheel and wakes him up immediately. Estimates say that about one in five highway accidents occur as a result of driver fatigue, so car manufacturers are looking at stamping that out by introducing new devices to help drivers stay focused.
The newest technology employed by Toyota centralizes data from many sensors situated across the automobile. A camera located at the front of the car analyzes the white stripes on the road, to determine how and if the driver veers to or away from them. The car has to stay within acceptable parameters, otherwise the system will be initialized.
The onboard computer assesses the situation and determines if it’s dangerous or within normal limits. If it senses that the driver doesn't adjust his driving style to situations on the road, it sounds the alarm, intended to wake the potentially dousing driver up. The computer holds a very complex algorithm, designed to prevent nuisance to the driver.
For example, while driving in the city, the car will cross white stripes on the road very often, and it will move at varying speeds. But the computer knows that a driver cannot possibly fall asleep while navigating crowded crossroads. On the other hand, when the car is on the highway, constant veering in a single direction while cruising at the same speed may be a clear indication that the person behind the wheel is falling asleep.
The same holds true for wobbles registered while driving in the same lane. There are of course other systems designed to monitor a driver's attention to the road, but they have a very high rate of false alarms, and their onboard computers have considerable difficulties understanding if a maneuver is necessary or not in given circumstances.
So one of the main innovations the new system brings is less chances of the driver getting annoyed by false alarms and shutting down the alarm sound, which can have devastating consequences in case of a real emergency.