When using Auto Pilot there is a lot less to do as a driver. If you are sleepy, it easy to fall asleep. I would like to have a wideo camera that watches to drivers face. There are researchers that have studied how to detect sleeping from video images. When detected, I would like to get an alarm sound and if the driver don't react quickly enough then the car should drive to the side of the road and slowly stop the car. Please implement this, can't be expensive to do.
-
Want to remove ads? Register an account and login to see fewer ads, and become a Supporting Member to remove almost all ads.
I have seen such a product more than 20 years ago. It was a set of glasses that monitored your eye lids and would sound an alarm when they stayed closed longer than a certain amount of time. I guess today it could be a little more sophisticated.
Send it to Tesla as a suggestion.
Send it to Tesla as a suggestion.
Jim R
Member
I have this feature in my Mercedes E250. The car monitors my actions during the first 15 minutes of driving. If it notices I'm getting sleepy or not watching the road, an alarm tells me to take a break. It was called Attention Assist in 2014. You can read up on it on a Mercedes site. (or not 
) I see two "camera-like" things in the sun visor area on the drivers side. I'm not really sure of all that it does, but it does warn me when I have my eyes off the road too much.
) I see two "camera-like" things in the sun visor area on the drivers side. I'm not really sure of all that it does, but it does warn me when I have my eyes off the road too much.
deonb
Active Member
Jim R
Member
It's my understanding (hey, I only drive the car!) that it monitors for 15 minutes to get a baseline of your driving. Then it monitors for changes. Again, I'm the driver, not the engineer who built it. Not sure why Tesla didn't buy that technology from Mercedes. They did buy the shift control lever - that's an exact copy on one in my Mercedes.
Scannerman
Member
Am I to assume, you would also be comfortable, riding on an Airliner, while the entire crew slept!?
Scannerman
Ames
Member
pinski
Not Ludicrous
I don't believe that's the case. The only experience I have is test driving a Model S with AP and I let it barrel down the highway without any input or touch from me for a good five minutes.
You mean the air traffic controllers who can't hail the sleeping crew to fix a problem because, well, they're sleeping?
The current AP software will ask you to touch the wheel periodically to make sure you are still there. And by touch I mean cause a little bit of torque on the wheel.
The time between the car asking you to do so varies and based on my observations, it seems to do it based on the type of road, how defined the lines are, and how fast you are going relative to the speed limit. If you are going the speed limit on a divided highway with nicely painted lines, it may be 5+ minutes without it asking. If you are going 15 over the speed limit and the lines aren't great it will ask you more frequently.
The first warning is just a visual cue on the dash. If you don't touch it after a short period of time it will beep at you as well. If you still don't touch the wheel the car will put the hazard lights on and slowly stop the car. I haven't tested this so I don't know how long after the beep warning it will stop the car, but I've read that it will stop the car right there in the middle of the road (no lane changes or getting off to the side).
As near as I can tell, there is no fixed time interval required by the AP. It isn't that simple.
And yes, I can envision a scenario where the driver falls asleep while on AP with one or two hands resting at the bottom of the steering wheel. I'm sure this happens many times every day around the world on cars with no self-driving capability. And people die.
pinski
Not Ludicrous
Cool! Thanks for the clarification! My experience was on a perfectly lined and paved interstate going about 72 in a 70, so that would make sense why I never received any notification.
You mean the air traffic controllers who can't hail the sleeping crew to fix a problem because, well, they're sleeping?
If airplanes become fully autonomous, I'm sure air traffic controllers would be able to send instructions directly to the plane without the need of a flight crew. That or someone within the airline company that would be responsible for managing everything on the plane remotely.
I'm not sure asleep with your hands resting on the steering wheel will count for autopilot as input. It doesn't detect people touching the wheel. It detects somebody applying torque to the wheel.
Mark Z
Active Member
AP2 only needs one hand holding the wheel with the elbow on the arm rest. The weight of the arm is enough to keep AP2 happy. The OP is right, the Autopilot system is steering, accelerating, braking and controlling the vehicle. With the driver tasked to observe, the physical activity of driving is decreased. The automation promotes a more relaxed attitude that may result in short periods of slumber late at night with light traffic.
Tesla needs to activate the Model 3 driver facing camera ASAP and start installing driver facing cameras in Model S and X. AP2 can work while a driver isn't alert for a short period of time on an well marked, empty freeway at night. Unfortunately, it is only a matter of time before a driver's luck may run out. For maximum safety, the AP driver must be alerted if eyelids are closed or Tesla needs to advance the technology to be 100% autonomous.
Tesla needs to activate the Model 3 driver facing camera ASAP and start installing driver facing cameras in Model S and X. AP2 can work while a driver isn't alert for a short period of time on an well marked, empty freeway at night. Unfortunately, it is only a matter of time before a driver's luck may run out. For maximum safety, the AP driver must be alerted if eyelids are closed or Tesla needs to advance the technology to be 100% autonomous.
Last edited:
Similar threads
