Characterization of Expert Drivers' Last-Second Braking and Its Application to a Collision Avoidance System

Expert drivers' deceleration patterns in last-second braking will be formulated using a perceptual risk index for the approach and the proximity of a preceding vehicle as examples of comfortable braking patterns. It will be shown that the formulated braking pattern can uniformly generate a smooth deceleration profile for many approach conditions. In addition, the brake initiation timing of expert drivers will be successfully formulated using a modified index. Finally, an automatic braking system for collision avoidance will be proposed based on a formulated brake-initiation model and a deceleration pattern. Twenty five expert drivers will experience the automatic braking that is installed in an experimental car. It will be shown that the proposed system can generate a smooth profile and realize secure brake patterns based on the drivers' subjective evaluation.