GPS World

Tag: platooning

  • Dead-end? Robotic platoon can now reverse with trailers attached

    Dead-end? Robotic platoon can now reverse with trailers attached

    Photo: Robotic Research
    Photo: Robotic Research

    Robotic Research LLC has added Retrotraverse to its AutoDrive-M autonomy kit. The autonomy kit is equipped on the U.S. Army’s Palettized Load System (PLS) logistics trucks.

    Robotic Research demonstrated the Retrotraverse capabilities with three of the U.S. Army’s PLS trucks, each towing trailers. “This is a major step forward for our company and has broad application both in autonomy and platooning. The capability solves the potentially life-threatening problem of an autonomous platoon of military vehicles being unable to navigate out of a dangerous situation,” said Alberto Lacaze, president of Robotic Research. “This automated platooning capability will ultimately extend the reach of soldiers without putting them in harm’s way.”

    The Retrotraverse feature allows a platoon of heavy-duty trucks with trailers to autonomously reverse. Several autonomous vehicle providers in the trucking industry are demonstrating platooning in benign conditions, where the weather is ideal and road surfaces are smooth and marked.

    Robotic Research has been specifically focusing on addressing the edge cases, such as poor weather, dust and off-road conditions, to ensure a robust autonomous system that is necessary for operating in all conditions and during mission-critical operations for the military.

    If a platoon drives into a dead end, or similar edge case where it cannot make a U-turn, the platoon of vehicles with trailers needs to be able to reverse out of the situation. Retrotraverse can make this happen.

    “Anyone who has backed up a truck with a trailer knows how difficult it is to navigate,” said Joe Putney, director of commercial systems at Robotic Research. “The autonomous Retrotraverse feature was able to reverse a truck and trailer faster than even our most skilled drivers. This feature is not just lifesaving, it’s time-saving, and it has the ability to reduce one of the greatest pains truck drivers have.”

    In 2018, Robotic Research was awarded a three-year, $49.7 million contract by the U.S. Army to provide its autonomy kit for large convoy resupply vehicles. Robotic Research has since delivered nearly 100 unmanned platooning trucks.

  • Rohde & Schwarz and Huawei conduct field trials for 5G and V2X precision

    Rohde & Schwarz and Huawei conduct field trials for 5G and V2X precision

    Rohde & Schwarz and Huawei have successfully conducted cellular-based 5G V2X latency measurements in vehicular environments in field tests in Munich and Shanghai.

    In a joint project between Huawei and Rohde & Schwarz, a precision end-to-end delay measurement system for over-the-air IP transmissions was applied to 5G V2X communication for cooperative driving applications in field tests in a moving car.

    The precision absolute time standards on both ends were derived from two independent GPS receivers.

    URLLC will enable automated driving. (Image: Rohde & Schwarz)
    URLLC will enable automated driving. (Image: Rohde & Schwarz)

    The initial measurements show that it is possible to achieve delays in the millisecond regime in a 5G network, demonstrating superior latency performance in comparison to LTE.

    One of the key use cases of 5G is ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC). Important for advanced vehicle-to-X communication use cases, URLLC will enable automated driving in the future.

    A measurement accuracy below 2 µs for each transmitted IP packet was demonstrated. The transmitted data contained various IP traffic streams including video, lidar and control data (ITS messages) for a tele-operated vehicle.

    While the trial in Munich was related to a tele-operated driving project, the tests in Shanghai were related to a platoon V2X testing site, where a number of vehicles traveling together are electronically connected via wireless communication.

    The delay for transmission of one IP packet from source over-the-air to a (moving) receiver (sink) needs to be measured, spanning all delays introduced by the radio transmitter, propagation delay and radio receiver from/to IP packet level.

    As latency is one of the key performance indicators of 5G and crucial for safety applications, such measurements could become an important criterion for future certification testing.

    “We are delighted to collaborate with Huawei to contribute with our test and measurement expertise to 5G technology development,” said Andreas Pauly, executive vice president,  Test & Measurement at Rohde & Schwarz. “With a strong global footprint in the telco ecosystem and close cooperation with partners, Rohde & Schwarz is committed to further expanding our innovative test and measurement solutions to new automotive applications.”

  • Omnitracs partners with Peloton on driver-assistive truck platooning

    Fleet management company Omnitracs LLC has partnered with Peloton Technology, a developer of connected and automated vehicle systems for U.S. and global freight carriers. Omnitracs and Peloton will collaborate to bring Peloton’s truck platooning technology to Omnitracs customers.

    The partners will also develop joint solutions that combine each company’s safety, efficiency and fleet management capabilities.

    Peloton will begin filling pre-orders of its flagship platooning product for Class 8 trucks in 2017. The technology synchronizes braking and acceleration between pairs of trucks through the integration of vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communications with radar-based collision avoidance systems, enabling the trucks to travel safely at aerodynamic following distances.

    The Peloton system generates 4.5 percent fuel savings for the lead truck and 10 percent for the follow truck in a two-truck platoon, according to independent testing by the North American Council for Freight Efficiency.

    Image: Omnitracs
    Image: Omnitracs

    For the driver of the follow truck, the Peloton system works similarly to adaptive cruise control with the added safety feature of V2V communications to enable automated braking within 0.1 second of braking by the lead truck. The driver of each truck controls steering while the platooning system coordinates speed and distance between the trucks,  meeting the definition of SAE Level 1 automated driving.

    Platoons are managed continuously by a cloud-based Network Operations Center that connects to trucks through cellular and Wi-Fi communications. Cloud-based supervision limits operation of platoons to specified roads in safe driving conditions.

    Here is a video explaining Peloton platooning.

    Peloton will help to roll out practical, cost-saving automated vehicle technology featuring leading-edge cybersecurity to Omnitracs customers, beginning with two-truck platooning. Omnitracs has a large customer base in the long-haul trucking segment which stands to benefit significantly from platooning.

    “Peloton has developed technology that is on the cutting edge of advanced driver assistance systems and the automated vehicle movement,” said John Graham, CEO of Omnitracs. “Its emphasis on spatial awareness is a crucial and foundational component of improving truck safety and fuel efficiency.”

    “We are excited to be part of the first partnership of a commercial platooning system supplier with a leading fleet management provider,” said Joshua Switkes, founder and CEO of Peloton Technology. “We will offer expanded opportunities for platooning across the broad customer base that Omnitracs has attracted by focusing on cost advantages for fleets.”

    A key operational benefit of the partnership for fleet customers will be optimized matching opportunities for inter-fleet platooning, leveraging Omnitracs’ routing and dynamic dispatch applications to provide navigation assistance and clear savings calculations for scheduled and ad-hoc platoons of trucks from different fleets.

    “This partnership will offer benefits to fleets of all sizes,” said Butch Winters, Peloton’s vice president of products, sales and business development. “In addition to helping fleets find more opportunities for platooning, we’re working with Omnitracs on new product features to enhance safety and efficiency for fleets and drivers.”

    Co-developed solutions from the partnership may include integrated cloud-based fleet management services and hardware.