As a part of research and development of the Automated Highway System (AHS), in September 1996 the authors tested advanced safe driving systems, such as those for automatic single direction lane driving, prevention of collision with cars in front, lane keeping, and danger-ahead warning, on the Jyoshin-etsu Expressway before it was commissioned into service. These experiments only examined the feasibility of AHS under certain conditions and with existing technologies. To develop a practical AHS, further research and development is required. Joint studies on AHS development are being conducted by the Ministry of Construction and the Assist Highway System Research Association, a consortium for technical research established in September 1996 by 21 manufacturers of automobile and electronic communication systems (hereafter called "AHS Consortium"). This paper reports the present status of AHS research and development, an overview of the component systems, functions, performances, and devices necessary for AHS, and the future direction for early deployment of advanced safe driving systems that utilize the technologies developed in various stages of the AHS R&D project.
Samenvatting