Truck Intelligent Driving is Going Into the "Post-Regulation" Era!

The commercial vehicle market is continuously evolving from the active safety (blind spot warning, forward warning, emergency braking) required by regulations to the iterative direction of assisted driving functions. At the same time, the scenario of commercial vehicles is more complex than that of passenger cars, which also pushes automakers to introduce more iterative features.

In the case of Mercedes-Benz heavy trucks, customers in 24 EU countries and selected non-EU markets are scheduled to be able to order the latest generation of safety-assisted driving systems for their trucks starting in June.

Three years ago, the new generation of Mercedes-Benz Actros heavy trucks, unveiled in Germany, was seen by the company as a bellwether for the future market, including the latest generation of active driver assistance systems, the fifth generation of active brake assistance systems, and the world's first electronic external mirrors for commercial vehicles.

Among them, the complete Active Driver Assistance (ADA) system reaches Level 2, the system can brake, accelerate and steer independently, and can work in all speed ranges, including ACC with stop and go function, and automatic lane change function based on the driver's turn signal.

Mercedes-benz says that when all these technologies are in use, the new Actros truck can reduce fuel consumption by 5 percent. In addition, due to the introduction of electronic external mirrors, aerodynamic improvements and powertrain upgrades, fuel consumption can be reduced by 3% on highways and 5% on urban roads.

At the end of last year, Daimler Trucks and Beiqi Foton Motor jointly announced that the two sides will invest 3.8 billion yuan to produce and sell Mercedes-Benz heavy trucks in China, mainly for the high-end truck market in China, which is expected to be mass-produced in 2022.

In addition, FAW Jiefang plans to take the lead in mass production of J7 L3 heavy trucks this year, and Gaogong Intelligent Automobile Research Institute judges that the domestic commercial vehicle market will enter the mass production of L2/L3 high-end heavy trucks in the next 2-3 years.

First, solve the problem of security "blind areas"

For commercial vehicles, the first complex scene is the safety risk of turning blind areas at intersections of urban roads. Mercedes Benz previously partnered with Setra to provide the first generation of SideGuard assistance (blind spot warning), which is primarily used to protect pedestrians and cyclists.

According to the relevant regulations of the European Union, from 2022 onwards, the European Union will equip new models with blind area warning assistance systems for listing approval requirements. From June 2021, the SideGuard Assist System (S1R) will be upgraded, and the Active Side Assist System (S1X) will officially enter mass production.

On the basis of the previous generation, the system has added automatic braking function, and the speed is 20 km/h. At the same time, the system is able to recognize the need for brake intervention from the steering Angle of the steering wheel and ideally prevent any collisions.

In terms of perception, the system follows the short-range dual millimeter wave (24GHz) radar scheme, covering areas including the truck side length (18.75 meters) and the side forward length area of 2 meters and the side backward area of up to 1 meter. The width of the right side of the coverage is 3.75 meters.

Daimler Trucks also offers two sensory early warning solutions for rear load users, a single rear radar and a SurroundView system based on four surround-view cameras, which reduces the risk of collision during corners by showing the driver what is around the vehicle on a 7-inch display.

At the same time, the system can also achieve a speed of up to 36 km/h (up to 90 km/h), when the vehicle is changing lanes for blind spot obstacles warning function.

The importance of the blind zone system is self-evident.

Truck crashes kill 4,000 people in Europe every year, and many more are seriously injured. And 15 percent of road deaths are related to truck crashes. A quarter of deaths caused by lorries are caused by vulnerable road users.

In addition, when trucks collide with vulnerable road users, they are mostly in the blind zone at relatively low speeds. Statistical analysis of the situation in the United Kingdom also shows that there are three main danger zones around the cab of a truck: the front of the truck (when starting), and left and right side collisions caused by turning.

Since 2009, the European Commission has introduced a series of measures to improve road traffic safety in accordance with relevant safety regulations, forcing new cars to install active safety devices in phases, including emergency braking systems (AEBS).

At present, similar systems have also begun to be installed in the country's operating vehicles by law. But warning is only the first step. Blind turn assist braking systems will be mandatory for all new trucks by 2024, the first time they have been included as a regulatory requirement.

To assess the effectiveness of such systems, an insurance company has previously done an accident study analysis, which found that 60% of all serious accidents between trucks and cyclists could be prevented by the system. Ideally, related deaths could be reduced by about a third and serious injuries by more than 40 percent.

In Germany, since 2019, vehicles equipped with lateral blind area assistance devices can also be supported by the government's relevant subsidy policies, up to 1,500 euros in subsidies.

Second, L2 has been able to meet basic needs

In terms of automatic driving assistance, Daimler Trucks has introduced the first generation L2 Active Drive Assist (ADA) system since 2018, which supports both vertical and lateral operation, and enables automatic following, acceleration and steering under certain conditions.

From June 2021, the latest generation of the ADA 2 will be fully upgraded with a new servo dual steering system with electro-hydraulic assistance during system lane changes. If the system becomes aware that the driver is not paying attention or may have a health problem, the system will initiate an automatic emergency stop.

First, the system asks the driver to keep his hands on the wheel through visual and audible signals. If the driver does not respond within 60 seconds, the system will brake, steer, accelerate or a series of other automatic actions to achieve a safe range of braking, while activating the hazard warning and electronic parking system.

In addition, the system will also enable the latest generation of Active Brake Assist 5, based on the camera + radar awareness scheme, compared to the previous generation, not only to respond partially to pedestrians, but also to achieve automatic full stop braking at speeds of up to 50 km/h.

At the same time, the entire AEB system adopts a staged braking mechanism, which first gives a visual or auditory warning to the driver. If the driver does not respond adequately, the system activates the partial braking action of the second step, decelerating up to 3 meters per second and 50% of the maximum braking performance.

Most importantly, within the system's limitations, the system can achieve automatic emergency full braking in emergency situations, while the electronic parking brake intervenes. However, according to the law, the driver remains fully and ultimately responsible for the vehicle.

According to a previous Bosch report, equipping heavy-duty trucks with driver assistance systems (ADAS), such as lateral actuator systems, can significantly reduce the cost of heavy-duty truck accidents. This system means that automatic steering input functions such as Lane Change Assist (LCA) and lane Keeping Support (LKS) can be provided.

The data shows that the vehicle provided with the above system can reduce accident costs by $0.04 per mile and reduce accident handling costs by $3,700 per year per heavy truck. In addition, injuries from collisions can be reduced by 23 percent and deaths by 19 percent. LCA and LKS systems can also reduce accident property losses by up to 35 percent.

In 2014, Bosch established a commercial vehicle division in China, and in 2018, Bosch officially established a commercial vehicle ADAS team in Suzhou. At present, it is mainly divided into two business directions: one is for L1/L2 level assisted driving, and the other path is the automatic driving solution above L4.

At the same time, Bosch's second-generation commercial vehicle forward-facing camera is to achieve mass production on Mercedes-Benz commercial vehicles in 2019, and the service life of the sensor is designed to reach more than 30,000 hours. At the same time, the electro-hydraulic power steering system has also achieved mass production.

In addition, the third generation of Bosch cameras for commercial vehicles will be completed in 2023, as will the fifth generation of Angle radar, supporting target output, adaptive cruise (ACC).

At the same time, the electronic and electrical architecture of commercial vehicles is also evolving from distributed to cross-domain centralized and vehicle centralized. Bosch's first ADAS commercial vehicle project in China (lane keeping) will also be put into mass production in 2021.

Third, L4 has the opportunity to take the lead in landing on the highway scene

Currently, in addition to autonomous assistance, Daimler Trucks last year also reached a partnership agreement with Waymo, based on the latter's self-driving software and part of the perception system, while Daimler also invested in lidar company Luminar.

"We think there is more potential for driverless technology in the trucking industry [than taxis], more business opportunities and easier problems to solve." Said the head of autonomous driving technology at Daimler Trucks.

Tech giants and auto companies have long viewed long-haul trucking as a more profitable route to quickly commercialize autonomous driving. Waymo CEO John Krafcik said last year that putting self-driving trucks on repeated routes could be more viable than robotaxis in urban areas.

To achieve the commercial landing of self-driving trucks, sensing redundancy and more accurate perception of the road surface have become more important, and Lidar is one of the best options at present.

As one of the world's largest truck manufacturers, Daimler Trucks has been ramping up its autonomous driving technology over the past few years. For example, the acquisition of Torc Robotics, a supplier of self-driving software.

In addition, to ensure the achievement of L4 targets for commercial vehicles, Daimler Trucks has also established the Autonomous Driving Technology Group (ATG), with the intention of creating a global autonomous driving platform that integrates technology, business and markets on a global scale.

"Autonomous trucks are expected to dramatically improve the efficiency and safety of logistics, with an initial focus on long-haul routes on highways." According to Daimler Trucks, "The application of restricted scenarios enables the technology to be used commercially in a much shorter time."

At the same time, the details disclosed in the cooperation with Waymo, Daimler will focus on autonomous research and development in terms of autonomous driving chassis development and system integration, and safety redundancy. The development of redundant steering, braking and control systems is very important to the development of this field, which will also be key to the L4 landing.

At present, the business model of truck autonomous driving is also very clear. Self-driving technology leader Waymo, for example, has made it clear that it will seek to partner with automakers and tier 1 suppliers.

Waymo has been thinking about how to integrate with traditional industries and develop a new business model, rather than becoming a "disruptor" or asset-heavy business model.

In the future, Waymo will work with automakers and Tier 1 suppliers to equip trucks with autonomous driving systems and sell them publicly to the market. In addition, Waymo will work with the fleet to provide software services and provide support such as mapping and remote collaboration.

Daimler Trucks is Waymo's first commercial vehicle strategic customer.