Many experts have already voiced the importance of a Cloud-based connection in new cars, but what sensor technologies are suitable for providing data to a Cloud-based map platform, and how can it keep maps up-to-date?
Speaking in a recent Automotive Megatrends webinar, Holger Dormann, Senior Project Manager, Connected Car at Elektrobit, tackled the burning questions surrounding the development of autonomous driving.
“The car must always be able to detect certain situations, and different types of sensors are important,” said Dormann. “As human beings, we see, hear and smell and combine all these senses to create a common impression. Camera, LiDAR and radar sensors are all important, and the car has to combine all of this sensor data to validate the current situation and find out what is going on.”
But as Dormann pointed out, road conditions change frequently and differ regionally. As such, the car will have to constantly adapt to detect ‘temporary risks’ such as standing water, ice or road diversions.
“We examine what kind of sensors are available in the car to detect weather conditions – temperature, humidity and so on – and send this sample data to the Cloud. This is an important approach; when you have a lot of cars sending sensor data that is weather relevant, you can have a finer grade of prediction,” he explained. “The Cloud can detect where there might be a dangerous situation in certain places, and can send this information back to the car, which can then adapt,” he added.
Keep it fresh
Elektrobit Automotive’s Navigation Product Manager, Oliver Jesorsky, recently explained that the company is investigating a hybrid approach to map updates. Here, basic map material is stored on-board, while certain features are incrementally – or when necessary – updated over-the-air (OTA) to keep the map fresh. Core navigation functions are guaranteed even in the case of a connection loss, and the system is not constantly working to the limit.
Dormann explained that it does not make sense for a driver travelling a common journey each day, such as to work, the shops or for recreation, to have a map that covers a broad area in detail. “If I am just driving around Germany, I only need certain kinds of data for my daily journey. It doesn’t make sense if I have the whole map of Europe being updated every second,” he said. “There needs to be a clever strategy for updated information – such as where the car is predicted to be in the near future. Different areas need to be updated with different frequencies.”
Stay connected
Reliable, fast and secure connectivity to the Cloud is vital for autonomous driving. In developed cities this is already a reality and is set to further improve with the introduction of 5G in future. Until then, how will connected and autonomous cars deal with a drop in signal? Dormann suggested that the car needs to rely on its integrated sensors in order to maintain awareness of its surroundings.
“Sometimes you don’t even have a 3G connection. In this situation the sensors in the car need to work for themselves,” he said. “If you don’t have a map then the car needs to use its sensors to perform driver assistance functions.”
Elektrobit is currently developing its services by utilising data being sent to the Cloud from vehicles on the road today. This is an important factor in progressing mapping and navigation in particular, as the data is sourced from real-world environments in a variety of road conditions.
It is in the luxury vehicle segment that Elektrobit anticipates the greatest contribution of data being sent to the Cloud. “The more expensive the car, the more sensors it will have,” Dormann pointed out. “Regionally, data will be sourced all over the world in Europe, the US, China and Japan, and as such we have designed our service to be global.”
Those at the table keep their seat
There have been questions asked of how other players in the mapping and navigation field will fare with larger Tier 1 suppliers entering the mix. With Elektrobit now slotting into the larger Continental corporation, will existing map providers like TomTom lose their competitive edge as Elektrobit develops its own map data through the Cloud?
“There are different scenarios to consider,” said Dormann. “Advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) rely heavily on the sensor Cloud, but there is other map data that cannot be updated so easily, such as street names. This is where traditional map providers like TomTom or HERE are an important source of data,” he concluded.
Freddie Holmes
