Independent Near-Field Monitoring: A Novel Approach to Improve Active Safety in Autonomous Vehicles

This paper introduces an innovative near-field monitoring system designed to enhance the active safety features of autonomous vehicles during low-speed driving. The proposed system has dedicated Light Detecting and Ranging (LiDAR) components. It can independently detect and respond to potential hazards, even without the high-level system’s intervention, and apply the emergency brake promptly. Unlike traditional systems that depend on a comprehensive mapping of the entire surrounding environment, our approach focuses on immediate decision-making within the keep-out area (KOA) upon detecting obstacles. The monitoring system utilizes information from the planned driving route to delineate specific monitoring boundaries. This paper explains different monitoring strategies that are suitable for various driving conditions. These strategies incorporate the use of 2-dimensional layouts, including rectangles and parallelograms, to cover the driving path area and fulfill the monitoring requirements of the autonomous vehicle in diverse scenarios.