EURO NCAP’S CURRENT AND FUTURE IN-CABIN MONITORING SYSTEMS ASSESSMENT

Paper in proceeding, 2023

Informed by international research and crash data, Euro NCAP has developed a Test and Assessment protocol to measure the performance of direct Driver State Monitoring (DSM) systems, which is implemented from January 2023 as part of the Safety Assist – Safe Driving protocol of the star rating. This protocol was developed in collaboration with experts from several OEMs and Tier 1 and 2 suppliers, and it is aimed at promoting standard fitment of driver monitoring systems that effectively detect impaired and distracted driving, eventually triggering the appropriate vehicle response strategies to warn driver and/or mitigate risks. Getting the full score in the Occupant State Monitoring (OSM) area will only be possible with direct monitoring systems. The protocol describes the DSM system requirements across three areas: Sensing (system performance degradation in the presence of several noise variables such as stature, light, facial features); Driver State (system capability to effectively deem the driver as distracted, fatigued or unresponsive); and Vehicle Response (vehicle deploying timely and appropriate response strategies, eventually avoiding the accident or mitigating its severity).

This paper discusses the rationale behind the assessment methodology and the resulting protocol, and how Euro NCAP envisions DSM as an effective tool to reducing/mitigating a wide variety of traffic accidents. Over the course of 2023 test campaign, Euro NCAP will collect extensive insights from both a practical implementation and technology capability perspective, opening the door for on-going improvements and further requirements. In the coming decade, Euro NCAP expects Driver (or Occupant) State Monitoring systems to tackle areas such as driver engagement, intoxication, optimized passive restraints, child presence detection, optimized passive safety, as well as enhancing the performance and intuitiveness of other ADAS by making them work in synchrony with the driver behavior – eventually increasing driver acceptance [1]. Lastly, the 2023 requirements for direct DSM are based on parameters related to eye gaze and head posture – these are subject to be expanded, allowing for new methods and systems to be used in future.