Various suppliers will be presenting their innovations in ADAS, automated driving and connectivity at the IAA 2019. The editorial team has already asked around and tested some of the functionalities in advance.
Figure 3: ZF will also show a new system for avoiding front-end collisions at the IAA. (image: ZF)
Bosch, continental and ZF have announced that they will exhibit their autonomous people movers at the IAA, with continental even driving visitors around the IAA grounds in an official cube-type shuttle. before the end of this year, continental technologies will go into series production for the first time in the EZ10 autonomous shuttle bus from the french company easy-mile, in which continental has held a stake since 2017.
Figure 1: ZF will present, among other things, a fully autonomous people mover and the components available for it in frankfurt. Alfred vollmer
At the beginning of the year, ZF acquired a majority stake in the dutch-american company 2getthere (Fig. 1), which offers complete automated transport systems. For tier 1s, it is clear that they must increasingly view the vehicle as a complete system, because it is about more than just individual components.
Driver assistance
An interior camera is required for safe transfer of driving responsibility in automated and manual driving, but space is extremely scarce in suitable installation locations. At the IAA, Continental is showing a combination of area and interior cameras (Fig. 2) that is expected to be SOP as early as 2021. Here, the infrared interior camera provides important data about the driver and passengers to detect any inattention and react accordingly. Using artificial intelligence, special algorithms constantly adapt the safety systems to the occupants.
Image 2: in more highly automated vehicles, the system needs to know whether the driver is still "in the loop" or whether he or she has disconnected from the traffic scene. the dual camera – lane view to the front and driver view to the inside – from continental offers a space-saving solution here. Alfred vollmer
The so-called "road AND driver" camera is located behind the vehicle’s windshield above the rear-view mirror and is thus housed in the same place as today’s camera, the lens of which is directed forward onto the road and provides data for driving assistance systems. While the road-facing camera offers between 2 and 8 mpixels of resolution, depending on the variant, the near-IR camera delivers 1.2 mpixels. However, data from the interior camera can be evaluated not only for a safe transfer of the driving function, because with the help of the occupant safety monitor software function, it is also possible to adjust the passive safety systems such as seat belts or airbags to the respective situation.
At the IAA, ZF will announce further details of its assistance function called automated front collision avoidance (Fig. 3), which can automatically take evasive action in critical situations such as oncoming traffic in the driver’s own lane if the driver fails to react in good time. From the editorial team’s point of view, this assistance function has the potential to be included in the euro NCAP list in the near future. Although ZF is still at an early stage, the system always functioned perfectly at speeds of up to 70 km/h in a test vehicle.
Image 3: ZF will also show a new system for avoiding head-on collisions at the IAA. ZF
continental’s right-turn assistant for passenger cars (image 2) was very impressive in terms of functionality in the quick test conducted by the editorial team. How well this system protects against a collision with a 25 km/h cyclist in the blind spot is clearly shown in a short video that the editorial team has created for you and embedded here. up to 55 km/h vehicle speed, continental has already tested the system, which could have SOP at the end of 2021 if a corresponding OEM order is placed. It also brakes for pedestrians and e-scooters in blind spots.
Video: how continental’s right turn assist works
The right-turn assistant is based on a compact close-range radar system with a detection angle of 130 degrees, which enables more precise detection of the vehicle’s surroundings and requires significantly less installation space than previous systems. Instead of the 24 ghz technology used in the past, the new radar generation operates at 77 ghz, so that the radar sensor can detect the surroundings with a much higher resolution and selectivity than before. In addition, the 77 ghz sensor on display at the IAA also detects directions of movement and speeds more precisely than is possible in the 24 ghz range. The algorithm detects cyclists via the two rotating wheels using Doppler radar.
Image 4: more protection for cyclists was impressively demonstrated by an assistance system from continental announced at the IAA. Continental
Four of the radar sensors can be positioned at each of the four corners of the body to provide almost complete 360-degree monitoring of the vehicle’s surroundings. Today, such radar systems already form the sensory basis for various driver assistance systems, such as detection of the blind spot to the right and left of the vehicle, detection of the surrounding area for the lane change assistant, monitoring of cross and intersection traffic for the intersection or emergency braking assistant, and monitoring of the area behind the vehicle for safe exiting.
What will be shown in the area of comfort systems and sensor technology can be found on the next page.
In the field of comfort systems, ZF will present the latest version of its "flying carpet" chassis concept, which increases driving comfort and the feeling of safety by observing the road surface, for example by detecting curves or potholes at an early stage and taking countermeasures. The technical basis for this is the intelligent combination of various active and semi-active systems. At the heart of the system is the fully active smotion damping system, which uses four actuators to adjust wheel compression and rebound to suit every driving situation and road surface (see video in the online version).
Sensors/actuators
At the IAA, Bosch will present the bosch camera with AI for automated driving and driver assistance, which combines image processing algorithms with artificial intelligence methods. The camera can use machine learning to detect a lane even when markings are missing. It recognizes different surfaces such as gravel, grass and asphalt, and this camera is also supposed to see better than the human eye. For example, it sees pedestrians at the side of the road and recognizes from their line of vision, head position and direction of movement whether they will step onto the road and pose a risk of collision.
continental designed the ehorizon as a predictive virtual sensor that knows the course and road conditions of the section ahead and interacts with the control system. With its road condition observer, the company uses the systems already present in the vehicle, such as ESC or camera systems, to classify road conditions as dry, wet, very wet (risk of aquaplaning), snowy or icy. This makes it possible to predict how well the tires will adhere to the respective section of road based on an estimate of the coefficient of friction.
Image 5: when parking, the electronic mirror systems from gentex provide exactly the visual information the driver needs. Alfred vollmer
In addition, continental is currently researching technical solutions that can adapt the tire inflation pressure to environmental and traffic conditions while the vehicle is in motion. A first prototype (Fig. 5) is already in the test phase. As the mechanical heart of the system, micro-compressors integrated into the rim can change the tire inflation pressure within a few minutes, even while driving, as the pressure differences are only in the range of a few tenths of a bar.
Mirror systems
When camera monitoring systems (CMS) replace the conventional rearview mirror with cameras and video displays, the aim is to improve the driver’s field of vision to the rear and/or side and increase safety. Gentex is making mirror systems the focus of its activities around the IAA.
Fig. 6: the focal plane of electronic mirrors is in the near field, which can lead to temporary blurring during driving for older drivers over the age of 40. Alfred vollmer
Gentex has launched such a full display mirror (FDM); the intelligent system consists of a rear-facing camera and a display integrated in the interior mirror. the mirror offers two different functions: in mirror mode, it functions as a normal dimmable rearview mirror. Switching the mirror to display mode displays a clear, bright LC display on the reflective surface of the mirror. Video images streamed from cameras in the exterior mirrors can also be embedded in the display mirror. This also addresses a problem faced by users of low vision goggles, as shown in Figure 6, while providing the full comfort of the display mode when parked.