Differential GPS Based Control of a Heavy Vehicle

This report describes development of technologies that can assist a driver with safe lanekeeping in the event that the driver is incapacitated due to fatigue. We use a Differential GPS system to sense the position and velocity of the vehicle since it appears that this method offers adequate precision with a low enough infrastructure cost to make the system practical in most rural settings. We have concentrated on heavy vehicles (a class 8 truck tractor) partly because of the more favorable economics associated with an installation of this type of system on a commercial vehicle, and partly because of the commercial driver's higher exposure to conditions that engender drowsy driving. Two potential applications of the steering, throttle and brake controllers developed in the course of this research are described. The first is a virtual rumble strip that vibrates the wheel whenever the vehicle drifts out of its lane. The second is a system that senses the erratic steering that presages loss of consciousness and then takes control of the vehicle, pulling it over to a safe stop.