Issue link: https://te.mouser.com/i/1349158
The Road to Autonomous Driving Transforming Vision into Reality Page 13 TE AUTOMOTIVE /// Trend Paper | The Road to Autonomous Driving Another advanced feature is adaptive body height control in advance of side impacts. This feature uses lateral motion sensors to detect an imminent side collision and work with the suspension system which leverages position sensors to increase body height ride by as much as 10 centimeters or more to expose a more robust part of the chassis to the likely impact zone. Predictive Stabilization for Greater Control and Comfort In addition to safety considerations, autonomous driving also provides greater levels of comfort for pas- sengers. One example is predictive suspension technology, where data from stereo cameras or LIDAR works with chassis position sensors and the suspension system. Cameras or LIDAR can scan the road surface ahead up to 15 meters away in real-time and measure obstacles within three millimeters of accu- racy and up to 130 kilometers per hour. The measurement data is then passed to the suspension system whereby position sensors actively adjust ride height in advance of meeting obstacles. This enables the vehicle to ride smoothly over obstacles and reduces vibration and oscillation for maximum com- fort. A similar example is cross-wind stabilization. By monitoring data coming from existing vehicle sen- sors in the suspension system, power steering, and ESP vehicles can automatically compensate for the effects of strong winds. When winds are detected, the stabiliza- tion system triggers the application of brakes on one side of the vehicle to help smoothly maintain the driver's position. These types of features are already available in selected passenger vehicles. In the future, they will be an essential component of fully autonomous vehicles.. Braking Control in Adverse Weather Conditions Sensors measuring temperature and humidity are currently used within clearly defined use cases. For example, the temperature level triggers a warning to the driver if there is a risk of icy roads, and HVAC control needs to know about the level of humidity to avoid windshield fogging. In a fully autonomous vehicle, however, data on temperature and humidity can also be used to classify a road condition that is not visible to the naked eye, such as black ice. When the road is wet or snowy, there will be less grip. Thus, an autonomous vehicle would need to apply the brakes earlier to prevent skidding or a collision. New Sensor Data Business Models As mentioned earlier, data from rain sensors, combined with telematic modules, is already being used for weather forecasting. Enhanced driving condition intelligence as described above could be collected in real-time from vehicles and made available commercially as an in-vehicle application. Figure 6. TE's chassis height sensors