As reported by the English-speaking medium 9to5Mac, Apple’s patent focuses on level 4 autonomous driving cars. This statement in autonomous driving implies that the driver does not need to touch the steering wheel or the pedals, since the car is smart enough to drive itself. And in this post we are going to tell you what this new patent is about.
If they are not used, they hide
This is the premise for which Apple has patented this system for vehicles. If at this level of autonomous driving the cars do not need human intervention, neither in the pedals nor in the steering wheels, these become the eElements that, in a way, are “surplus”in the event that we are in a vehicle with these characteristics, and with the autopilot running.
Thus, according to the patent echoed by 9to5Mac, “Apple has patented a system of retractable steering wheel and pedals in the car, when it is used in autonomous driving mode.” In addition, they explain that the car can drive (autonomously, with level 4 running) in a “relatively simple” environment, but that it would require human intervention on city streets. In fact, the name of the document is “Retractable Input Devices”, which translated into Spanish means retractable interaction devices.
With the intention of optimizing the space inside the cabin, Apple has the idea that everything that is not being used is hidden. “This creates more flexibility so that the seats can move and recline. It also increases safety by preventing the passenger from accidentally intervening with the car, while it is driving alone”, they explain.
Apple’s reasons for patenting this system
Images of how this system can work are shown in the patent. But also, the company itself gives its technical point of view, on why this system has been carried out:
First of all, they introduce the elements of cars, which are used to drive: «Traditional passenger vehicles include driver input devices to receive inputs from the driver to control the movement of the vehicle. Typical driver input devices include a steering wheel, an accelerator pedal, and a brake pedal, for receiving driver inputs including steering, throttle, and brake control inputs, respectively, from the driver.”
From manual control to autonomous driving. The evolution of these systems is increasing, and at Apple they know it. To the point that they explain the role of the human being, within a car of these characteristics: «With the continuous development of autonomous driving systems, it is possible that the actions of the driver are not necessary to control the movement of the vehicle, at least in some circumstances, while the driver’s actions may still be necessary or desired in other circumstances.”
In that human role as driver, they give brushstrokes of the situations in which a human intervention is necessary. But also, when you don’t have to touch anything: “Driver intervention may not be necessary while driving on a road with adaptive cruise control systems, whereby accelerator and braking actions are automated to accelerate and decelerate the vehicle, based on detection of other vehicles, and with lane centering systems, whereby steering actions are automated to keep the vehicle in a lane.”
The technology ends where the different implementations of it begin, and the circumstances in which this type of system can be activated. For this reason, they explain the following: «Depending on the autonomous driving systems available in a given vehicle, driver intervention may still be necessary in other circumstancessuch as in congested or less controlled environments (for example, in urban areas), or may be desirable, such as when the driver simply prefers to manually control the movement of the vehicle.”