Continental, the international automotive supplier, has now completed a two-week endurance test in theUSstate ofNevada. More than 6,000 miles of highly-automated driving on public roads inNevadawere completed and had the aim to show that it becomes possible to develop room for freedom for the driver which does not serve primary vehicle guidance and therefore provide the driver a welcome change in certain situations. Especially aspects of driving safety were evaluated.Nevadais the firstUSstate to explicitly permit automated driving on public roads.
It is equipped with close-to-production technologies for monitoring a vehicle’s immediate surroundings and actuators for the first time. The new stereo camera MFC 300 whose sensors can measure the distance and size of potential obstacles, the MK 100 electronically controllable braking system and electric power steering (EPS) were installed. The test also served as an investigation of possible use cases and the determination of the safety-related acceptable operating range at fully automated mode of the vehicle.
The equipment in Continental’s research vehicle differs from the laser sensors and tailor-made actuators in other highly-automated or autonomous vehicles, in that it is especial. The vehicle is able to use close-to-production sensors and logic to detect more complex scenarios and, consequently, is able to relieve drivers of the tedium of monotonous activities, such as driving in traffic jams, by automating. Such traffic jam scenarios were also driven during the test. In situations which exceeded the current capabilities of highly-automated driving, such as where road markings could not be detected or if the bends were too tight, the system switched itself off and the driver had to resume control of the vehicle. If the driver failed to react, the vehicle’s speed was gradually reduced until it came to a stop.
Continental’s sites inFrankfurt,Germany, and Auburn Hills inMichigan,USA, have combined their know-how so as to develop and test the system further. In the next step, the gained experiences will help to enhance advanced driver assistance systems* availability. The results also represent an important step on the road toward realizing the vision of accident-free driving.
*Advance driver assistance systems (ADAS) include:
1. Emergency Brake Assist: an optical sensor uses infrared beams to monitor the road space in front of the vehicle, up to a distance of about 10 meters. If the distance diminishes so rapidly that a collision appears imminent, the brake system is immediately placed on emergency standby. If the driver then also applies the brakes, there will be significantly more braking power available. If the driver is inattentive, the EBA City system will automatically apply the brakes at the very last moment preventing an accident or, in any case, significantly reduce the severity of an impact.
2. Traffic Sign Recognition: Continental’s automatic Traffic Sign Recognition consists of a camera that can read speed limit information with or without a navigation system and constantly informs the driver with a display in his field of view. The camera recognizes the standard characteristics of road signs in its line of sight
3. Electronic Stability Control (ESP® / ESC): the system helps to keep vehicles on the road by comparing the driver’s intended vehicle path with the car’s actual direction of travel at that point in time. If these diverge, ESC applies brakes to individual wheels, throttles engine speed and reinstates the vehicle’s correct course.
4. Blind Spot Detection: developed by Continental can take much of the strain off the driver and avoid hazardous situations by monitoring the area that is hard to see. Radar sensors or cameras monitor the road space behind and alongside the driver’s car and display a visual signal near the outside mirror to indicate whether there is a moving vehicle in the blind spot.
5. Lane Departure Warning: software in the camera analyzes the images and determines whether the car is about to drift out of the lane by detecting the road markings and determining the position of the vehicle in relation to them. Drivers are typically alerted to the danger through a vibrating steering wheel but also by gentle steering interventions.
6. Intelligent Headlamp Control: uses a camera to adjust the car’s headlamp automatically. Significant safety benefits are gained from continuously adapting the vehicle’s illumination range to the traffic situation and immediate surroundings to avoid dazzling other road users.
7. Adaptive Cruise Control: adjusts both the speed and the distance to the next vehicle.
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