Tag: V2X

GNSS at the front end and back end of Intelligent Transportation

Image: Hexagon | NovAtel

It has been a wild decade, with so many players in the autonomous vehicle (AV) market, all striving for a leg up. Until the dominant design of present AV stacks emerged, there was no small amount of experimentation and less-than-successful alternate approaches. For instance, there was one big-name player that initially sought to create an AV solution without GNSS. Reality set in, and they soon embraced GNSS as an essential component.

Gordon Heidinger, segment manager, automotive and safety critical systems at Hexagon’s Autonomy and Positioning division, has had a front-row seat from which to observe, and contribute to the evolution of AV.

“I’ve been in the automotive industry for 20 years, all the way from OEMs like Chrysler to tier ones like Harman,” Heidinger said. “I’ve worked on the engineering side, on the project management side, and have now joined Hexagon | NovAtel to help further their involvement in the automotive industry. NovAtel was there for aviation 20 years ago, helping develop systems for planes to take off and land autonomously — we have a deep bench when it comes to applying such expertise for vehicular autonomy.”

NovAtel has long provided GNSS and IMU products and solutions, as well as real-time positioning services. Each are key elements of AV sensor stacks and overall autonomy solutions. Parent company Hexagon has multiple divisions contributing to intelligent transportation — on both the front end and back end.

The Front End

AV systems require highly reliable and smart sensor stacks that typically include cameras, radar, lidar and sonic sensors; these provide the relative positioning for advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), which are becoming commonplace for newer vehicles. There are also implementations that include GNSS/IMU for navigation and lane keeping.

“Lane keeping is possible to a limited degree with combinations of the other sensors; however, you need GNSS to let you know where you truly are for autonomous driving,” Heidinger said. “Are you on the right freeway lane in Ottawa, or is this an exit ramp? This was a big problem with today’s simple single frequency solution; a car can assume highway speeds on an exit ramp, not realizing it was an exit ramp.”

Only with the absolute precise positioning that GNSS provides, and a high-definition map, level 4 autonomy — and potentially level 5 someday — could be achieved. With current sensor stacks, when the car is moving, it can reliably detect the other cars moving in its vicinity. Furthermore, vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) solutions are being developed and tested, which enable a vehicle to share data about where it is going, its speed and acceleration, and its current location. We may remain far from full autonomy until such solutions are broadly deployed, however we will see some of the vehicle-to-everything (V2X) solutions sooner than later.

Various developers and departments of transportation around the world are testing short range V2X communication systems.
“We would need real-time construction zone updates,” Heidinger said. “It would be tough to do lane keeping if a construction site closes or diverts lanes during the course of a day. Or if cameras detect crashes, or blocked lanes, this will need to be broadcast immediately and continuously in real-time.”

A representative example of a production high precision positioning system was demonstrated at the recent Consumer Electronics Show 2023 (CES 2023). ZF Friedrichshafen AG (ZF) has developed ProConnect — a dedicated short-range communication (DSRC) solution that enables positioning and communication for use in applications with roadside infrastructure, such as traffic lights. It can be scaled to include other over-the-air alerts that could include first responder vehicle proximity and construction site status. At CES, the GNSS positioning was demonstrated with an autonomous vehicle platform from Hexagon.

“The precise map and the real-time updates from V2V and V2X systems all need precise absolute positions to relate objects to each other,” Heidinger stated. The question then becomes “…how reliable and trustworthy is that solution”?

There are international automotive-grade requirements such as the ISO 26262 standard for electrical/electronic systems, and automotive safety integrity levels. For instance, ASIL-B(D), and cybersecurity standard ISO/SAE 21434. The latter provides protection against external access without authorization.

“The level of reliability required is extremely high,” Heidinger said. “After all, these are human lives, in metal boxes hurtling along at highways speeds. There are ASIL standards that call for a probability of 10-8, or 1 in 100 million, in an hour that the system is wrong. These levels of reliability need to apply to electronic components, communications, and the availability of the GNSS positioning solution to really automate any type of vehicles. You’ll encounter similar AV standard references to five-nines, or 99.999%.”

Positioning Services

Heidinger explained that for most aspects of autonomy, GNSS can be “good enough”, even just to a foot. However, uncorrected, GNSS can never meet even those needs — achieving an accuracy of a few meters at best. Then there is the matter of reliability. Augmentations like real-time kinematics (RTK) and precise point positioning (PPP) apply broadcast “correctors” that can yield centimeter positions. RTK is not practical for broad areas or highway and road networks as it requires dense infrastructure and two-way communication with the vehicle, which can introduce security challenges.

Solutions for autonomy are typically PPP. While there are many applications of PPP that use clock, orbit and ionospheric model data broadcast from geostationary L-band satellites, for applications such as surveying, mapping, maritime and agriculture, this would not meet the reliability requirements for AV. The Achilles heel of broadcast PPP is that the satellites are usually limited in number and positioned over the equator; the vehicle can often lose sight of these. Instead, PPP services, such as that provided by NovAtel and others, are tapped by vehicles via mobile internet connections; this means cellular networks. While cellular services can often meet reliability goals, there are still vast areas of highways where availability is sparse.

The other challenge for PPP is the convergence time needed to get reliable sub-foot precision.

“No one wants to wait five minutes or more for it to converge,” Heidinger said. “By processing data from semi-dense networks of reference receivers, our PPP can converge rapidly enough to be ready to roll as soon as you start driving.”

The Back End

A free-for-all of autonomy is not going to happen on highways and roads that are not precisely mapped and kept up to date.
“There are visions of crowd sourcing map updates from the sensors in cars,” Heidinger said.

Crowd-sourced data is not systematic enough, though, and could be inconsistent. After all, there are privacy considerations, and how many vehicle owners would be willing enough to participate?

There are numerous mapping and imaging “buggies” plying road and highway networks on an ongoing basis; this could provide a base layer. But how precise? The specific applications these mapping buggies support may not need high precision. And operators may not be willing to invest in high precision/accuracy. The precision of the 3D maps would need to be higher than the target range of the AV systems. The technology exists and is broadly used for various applications in the form of centimeter precision 3D mobile mapping — at highway speeds. Such systems with lidar scanners, cameras, and positioning solutions can include GNSS, IMU, wheel speed encoders, and SLAM lidar for enhanced position stabilization. An example is the Pegasus TRK from Hexagon | Leica Geosystems.

GNSS is the key component — the provider of precise absolute positioning. When people drive, they are the sensor stack, and they are (mostly) aware of the context of where they are and can see and hear what is going on around them. Before we can hand over the driving duties to machines, and fully accept any autonomous driving technology, it will not only need to be as smart and aware as humans, but much better and more aware than humans. Autonomy sensor stacks can tell a car what it is doing, and what other things are doing in its immediate vicinity, but without a precise map, and knowing precisely where it is in real-time, a car would be still tip-toeing around in a fog of uncertainty.

June 8, 2023
Cepton, ALP.Lab and TE Connectivity complete proof-of-concept project

Cepton, a Silicon Valley-based lidar solutions company, and ALP.Lab GmbH, an Austrian-based provider of autonomous vehicle testing solutions and TE Connectivity, which produces sensors and connectors, have completed a proof-of-concept project called Periscope. Periscope is a vehicle-to-everything (V2X) solution, which extends a driver’s field of view using lidar sensors installed at intersections to warn of road hazards ahead before they are in view.

The companies created Periscope in response to the global issue of traffic accidents involving pedestrians and cyclists. The V2X solution communicates information about road conditions in real time, providing more time to react, preventing accidents and enhancing overall safety.

For the proof-of-concept project, Cepton provided its Helius Smart Lidar System, which combines lidar sensors with edge computing and perception software to provide real-time, 3D object detection and tracking. TE Connectivity contributed its V2X hardware components in the vehicle used for testing and for the surrounding infrastructure, as well as provided technology for an on-board display of the vehicle’s location and road hazards. ALP.Lab supervised the system integration and testing, while also providing the testing area and infrastructure.

Cepton, ALP.Lab and TE Connectivity are planning to collaborate on further testing this year to confirm Periscope’s initial findings.

January 10, 2023
Cohda announces advanced V2X connectivity solution

CEO Paul Gray displays the MK6 OBU (left) and RSU. (Photo: Cohda Wireless)

Cohda Wireless has developed an advanced and versatile V2X connectivity solution to help pave the way for the introduction of connected vehicles on smart roads and highways across the globe.

The MK6 RSU (roadside unit) and OBU (onboard unit) offer a comprehensive connectivity capability as standard features, including DSRC, C-V2X, LTE/5G and Wi-Fi/Bluetooth.

The Australian-headquartered company believes the MK6 will expedite the rollout of cooperative intelligent transport systems (C-ITS) around the world. Cohda’s V2X stack and applications are widely deployed in the industry, and the MK6 is the company’s most capable, versatile and powerful platform to date.

The dual concurrent technology capability of the MK6 gives users the reliability, flexibility and interoperability needed to embark on deployments with confidence, no matter where they are in the world, said Paul Gray, Cohda Wireless chief executive officer.

“More and more cities across the world are actively embarking on initiatives to introduce connected vehicles on their roads and we developed the MK6 with the intent that it would become the undisputed connectivity solution of choice,” Gray explained.“City transport authorities want to invest confidently in future-proof products, and when they equip their traffic lights and other roadside infrastructure with the MK6 Road-Side Unit, they are deploying a road-ready solution that can reduce congestion and road accidents.”

The MK6 also offers improved security and processing power for unique and complex applications, Gray said.

In developing the sixth-generation MK6, Cohda applied its experience and involvement in some of the world’s most prolific trials and deployments, including the 3,000-vehicle New York Connected Vehicle Project as well as Australia’s largest connected vehicle pilot, the Ipswich Connected Vehicle Project.

Cohda’s technology has featured in two production vehicle platforms, most recently in 2019 when Volkswagen equipped its Golf 8 production model with Cohda’s V2X. Volkswagen is the second manufacturer to incorporate Cohda’s V2X technology in a production vehicle in readiness for an impending connected road transport system.

“We are approaching a tipping point and we expect the MK6 to be a catalyst for increased momentum,” explained Gray.

“The MK6 is the all-rounder solution that makes it easy for the entire industry, especially cities and transport authorities, to participate in the evolution of the world’s transport systems,” Gray added.

The MK6 features the RoadLink SAF5400 and SXF1800 chipsets from NXP Semiconductors, as well as the Qualcomm Snapdragon Auto 5G Modem-RF Platform. It will be available in December.

September 15, 2022

Using GNSS and terrestrial radio ranging for automated vehicle positioning

Experts at u-blox discuss how they’re creating a hybrid positioning system for automated vehicles using GNSS and terrestrial radio ranging

By David Bartlett, senior principal engineer, Product Center Positioning, and
Stefania Sesia, head of Application Marketing, Automotive, u-blox

There’s so much discussion around automated vehicles in the mainstream press these days, that it’s easy to forget some of the critical enabling technology needs to mature significantly before large numbers of people are being whisked from A to B by completely driverless cars.

An area demanding particular attention is high-precision positioning. The Society of Automotive Engineers published a six-level automation scale. For vehicles at the higher end of the scale to become reality, they need to be able to reliably pinpoint their location to within centimeters, at all times.

Society of Automotive Engineers’ six-level automation scale. (Image: SAE International)

The positioning systems in most modern cars — which typically use GNSS receivers coupled with an inertial measurement unit (IMU) and the odometer — can’t get close to this level of accuracy. Even in the most favorable conditions for GNSS satellite signal reception, accuracy is between 2 and 5 meters horizontal circular error probable (CEP) without a correction service. In more challenging environments, such as urban areas or indoors, this is significantly reduced.

Using UWB and V2X to complement GNSS

Various solutions are being developed to address this GNSS shortcoming, but all currently have their limitations or don’t offer a solution that’s workable in all environments. Future autonomous vehicles will therefore invariably need to rely on hybrid solutions that blend multiple technologies.

One area where relatively little research has been done to date is in combining GNSS with terrestrial radio signals to enhance automotive positioning accuracy. Cellular vehicle-to-everything (C-V2X), IEEE 802.11p V2X, its successor 802.11bd and ultra-wideband (UWB) can all be used for short-range distance measurements. V2X ITS communications technology is listed as a potential positioning solution in EN 302890 (Intelligent Transport Systems), while UWB technology is gaining momentum for indoor applications, as well as by vehicle manufacturers for keyless entry.

These technologies are all ripe for further investigation as complements to GNSS and IMUs, to ultimately support higher levels of vehicle autonomy. U-blox recently ran a study to evaluate the terrestrial-ranging strengths and weaknesses of IEEE 802.11p V2X and UWB as part of a hybrid solution with GNSS for automotive navigation. Our aim was to establish their feasibility for this application, and identify where further research needs to happen for this type of hybrid navigation solution to become part of future autonomous vehicles.

Photo: jonathange/iStock/Getty Images Plus/Getty Images

How terrestrial ranging works

A terrestrial-ranging system requires a network of fixed ground stations (typically referred to as roadside units, or RSUs, in V2X systems) at known locations. V2X or UWB signals sent out by the vehicle are returned by the RSUs, enabling the vehicle to measure the roundtrip time, and consequently calculate the distance between itself and the anchor point. Do this for three or more RSUs that are geometrically dispersed relative to the vehicle, and you can determine its position.

The need to simulate

Mass deployment of the RSUs required for this type of solution has not yet happened. Installing a suitable network of ground stations in an urban setting on public land wasn’t feasible for our research, in part because the regulatory landscape around UWB in this context is still evolving.

Instead, we set up anchor points around various private estates, from open fields to areas representative of urban environments, such as a business park. We took extensive measurements of the UWB and V2X signals’ behavior in these environments, which enabled us to extract performance statistics such as noise, and subsequently create a behavioral simulation model for the ranging performance.

Our test methodology

Having established our behavioral simulation model for different types of environments, rural, urban and indoor settings, we did a number of real-world test drives. These covered a wide range of driving conditions. We took in high-speed sections of open road, dense urban areas, start-stop congested traffic, numerous corners, and places with limited or no GNSS reception such as tunnels.

During these drives, we collected both GNSS measurements and ground truth. For the former, we used a u-blox NEO-M8L module with built-in IMU. To establish the ground truth, we used a high-grade real-time kinematic (RTK) receiver, GNSS augmentation data service and a high-spec IMU.

We classified each section of the test drives based on the environment — dense urban, tunnel, open countryside and so on — to enable us to apply the appropriate noise models in our simulation.

Next, we allocated RSU positions based on chosen density and placement rules, and added 2 m of random height variation, to ensure we avoided a fully planar deployment. We tested with various numbers of RSUs, to help understand how many would be required to achieve the necessary levels of location precision.

We then set additional simulator variables, such as the accuracy of the timestamp on the ranging measurements.

Having done all of this, we generated simulated ranging measurements between the RSUs and the truth position for every ranging epoch. To these, we added noise on a sample-by-sample basis, and merged the resulting noisy simulator measurements with the GNSS measurements we recorded en route.

Key findings

The output of the simulator enabled us to generate performance statistics that facilitated a comparison between the hybrid GNSS + V2X and GNSS + UWB solutions and a conventional GNSS + IMU solution, similar to those found in mainstream vehicles today.

The table below shows performance of the three solutions.

	UWB	V2X (IEEE 802.11p)	GNSS+IMU
Ranging update rate	0.67 Hz (1.5 s interval)	10 Hz (0.1 s interval)	n/a
Horizontal accuracy	0.1 – 2.5 m (Hybrid)	1.1 – 4.2 m (Hybrid)	1.2 – 5.5 m
Height accuracy	0.4 – 5 m (Hybrid)	5 – 10 m (Hybrid)	2 – 7 m
Frequency of operation	6.5 GHz	5.9 GHz	n/a
Signal bandwidth	500 MHz	10 MHz	n/a

Performance of the three navigation solutions on test.

At a very high level, we found that the GNSS+V2X (IEEE 802.11p) system achieved performance similar to a conventional GNSS+IMU(DR) solution using standard positioning. In situations where there is no GNSS reception, or where this is seriously degraded, an IMU also loses its value, given its reliance on continual GNSS reception to remain aligned. Here, a V2X-based positioning solution would be of value for navigation guidance.

However, more work will need to be done, including into the role of the IMU in high-integrity, high-accuracy positioning, to achieve the levels of accuracy and integrity that autonomous applications require.

The GNSS + UWB hybrid system delivered significantly better performance, approaching the levels that can be achieved using an RTK-based GNSS augmentation service. Our test system ran at 0.67 Hz, and was able to deliver precision close to 10 cm, though we would expect future production systems to align with the more common 10-Hz refresh rate broadly used in V2X.

By pairing a 10-Hz UWB ranging system with a high-accuracy GNSS system using correction data, it should be possible to achieve 10 cm-level accuracy in most situations. GNSS with correction data is already proven to be capable of delivering this level of precision in open areas and motorways. A network of RSUs deployed in urban environments would enable UWB to complement high-accuracy GNSS in situations where satellite reception is challenging.

However, the limited range of UWB, coupled with current regulatory restrictions around outdoor use, limit its usefulness at the present time. That said, micro-navigation in indoor areas, such as parking garages, could be a good fit for this technology.

Other lessons learned

The research brought to light a number of other important findings. First, having even just two RSUs visible, in addition to GNSS, provided significant benefit in the hybrid solution.

Second, height variation in the RSUs is essential if the navigation system is to determine the vehicle’s height accurately, particularly with V2X technology. This will be particularly important when it comes to enabling vehicles to safely operate where there are different levels of road one above the other, such as at multi-level junctions.

Third, we were successfully able to build a hybrid filter to process the signals from the V2X, UWB and GNSS systems, and seamlessly handle the transition between areas with GNSS only (where there were no RSUs deployed) and terrestrial ranging only (such as tunnels).

Fourth, despite the promise it showed for this application, terrestrial ranging is far from immune to environmental effects and multipath. Even UWB would sometimes suffer from non-line-of-sight signal propagation.

Finally, accurate time alignment between the GNSS and terrestrial ranging measurements also emerged as a critical factor. Where we had initially anticipated that alignment to within a few milliseconds would be sufficient, in reality we found we needed to be below 100 microseconds.

What next?

This research has shown the potential of using terrestrial-radio ranging to complement the existing positioning technologies and services being deployed in vehicles today. That said, more needs to happen, not least on the regulatory front, for this technology to genuinely become one of the enablers of future autonomous vehicles.

Outdoor UWB use needs to be permitted for this application, for example, and there needs to be widespread deployment of UWB-capable RSUs. Moreover, when RSUs of any kind are being deployed, thought needs to be given to their possible use as positioning anchors, rather than simply as communication devices.

In addition, more spectrum and wider channels need to be allocated to V2X. And we need to see positioning primitives and signals incorporated into the V2X standards. (Positioning primitives allow a car to know in what direction it is headed — up/down/left/right — relative to a point of reference. It uses signals from the sensors to calculate these values.)

A related area that merits further investigation is the use of UWB ranging to protect vulnerable road users such as people walking, wheeling and cycling. With modern smartphones and cars both now including UWB technology, there are opportunities to use this to make autonomous vehicles more aware of the position of people in their surroundings.

If you’d like to find out more about the research, our methodology, or the results, we’d be delighted to discuss these with you. Please email [email protected] to get in touch.

September 14, 2022

Vodafone developing satellite tech for IoT devices, autonomous vehicles with centimeter accuracy

Photo: Vodafone

Vodafone and Topcon Positioning Group are developing a European precise positioning system, Vodafone GNSS Corrections, that will locate Internet of Things (IoT) devices, machinery and vehicles with a greater degree of accuracy than using individual GNSS.

Vehicles, scooters and robotic lawn mowers can be securely monitored in real time to within a few centimeters when connected to Vodafone’s global IoT network.

Vodafone GNSS Corrections will use technology from Topcon, which corrects inaccuracies from navigation satellite signals. Location accuracy is improved from a few meters to centimeters using Topcon’s dense European network of thousands of GNSS reference stations, especially when vehicles and devices are fitted with suitable antennas and receiver equipment.

Vodafone will offer a singular module configuration that can extend across national borders.

Vodafone is inviting select customers to join pilot customer trials in Germany, Spain and the UK, which will begin this month. The companies aim to test the service using a wide variety of devices connected to Vodafone’s global IoT network — one of the largest with more than 150 million connections — and its pan-European network covering 12 countries.

Pinpoint accuracy is critical to the mass adoption of vehicle-to-anything (V2X) technology used for driverless vehicles, autonomous machinery and robots. For example, e-bike riders could use Vodafone GNSS Corrections to provide details of their exact location and then alert other road users of their presence.

Vodafone GNSS Corrections also supports Vodafone’s efforts to improve V2X location accuracy, especially when sharing trusted data to help prevent unnecessary accidents and fatalities on Europe’s roads. As such, Vodafone is offering precise positioning as a complement to Vodafone’s new Safer Transport for Europe Platform (STEP) which allows entities to communicate with each other where no line of sight exists. Unveiled in March 2022, STEP has been successfully tested in Germany and the UK and will be made available via Vodafone Automotive and third-party apps later this year.

September 8, 2022
S.E.A. Datentechnik and M3 Systems partner on V2X and ADAS

S.E.A. Datentechnik GmbH is partnering with M3 Systems on advanced GNSS emulation technology. The new partnership aims to provide high-quality GNSS tools for current and future automotive vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication and advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) applications.

S.E.A. Datentechnik is a developer and system integrator for advanced radio frequency and V2X test and measurement systems, serving chipset vendors, automotive suppliers and OEMs.

The StellaNGC Software Suite by M3 Systems integrates seamlessly into automotive test environments to meet customer needs.

The two companies are leading, well established partners for the National Instruments (NI) platform. The signed partnership ensures the availability of advanced and competitive technology for global test solutions.

“We are sure that the cooperation of our companies provides a high value for customers for the development, validation and production test of actual and future V2X and Connected Car technologies,” said Gerd Schmitz, co-founder, and CEO of S.E.A. “The combination of the deep experience GNSS technology of M3 Systems with S.E.A. V2X products and competence provides tailored test solutions for reasonable cost.”

“M3 Systems is pleased to be working with S.E.A. on V2X and ADAS using the NI platform,” said Marc Pollina, CEO of M3 Systems. “V2X expands the capability of M3 Systems to serve automotive suppliers, chipset vendors and other V2X/ADAS users. V2X is synergistic with M3 Systems’ expertise in GNSS technology and simulation.”

V2X from S.E.A.

Compact, automated turnkey S.E.A. test systems enable the efficient and reliable test of V2X technologies using scalable software and hardware components.

The modular V2X test platform from S.E.A. is based on software-defined radio (SDR) technology and includes all aspects of automated V2X test, including measurements on the physical layer for RF-compliance, protocol or production testing, and integrated V2X traffic scenario simulation for the test of V2X applications.

International V2X standards for North America, Europe and China are supported for scenario-based testing by open-loop or closed-loop hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) systems. Test catalogs for specific test applications such as RF-conformance measurements and V2X Day 1 Use Case testing are available for efficient use of the flexible test systems.

GNSS from M3 Systems

High-quality simulation of GNSS signals for the different constellations — GPS, Galileo, Glonass and Beidou — are required for V2X and ADAS test system applications.

The M3 Systems StellaNGC Software Suite integrates seamlessly into the test environment and fulfills the high demands of customers. The application of the NI PXI platform for GNSS and communication emulation enables the powerful and seamless integration of GNSS as well as other sensor and communication technologies: radar, lidar and cameras for HIL ADAS/autonomous technology test systems.

April 13, 2022
Seoul Robotics fuels autonomy with Level 5 control tower

Image: Seoul Robotics

Seoul Robotics has introduced the Level 5 Control Tower (LV5 CTRL TWR), a mesh network of sensors and computers on infrastructure that guides vehicles autonomously without requiring that sensors be placed on individual vehicles.

The technology is in the early stage of commercial deployment to automate last-mile fleet logistics at BMW’s manufacturing facility in Munich. The system has the potential to transform operations for a wide range of business applications, from vehicle distribution centers to car rental companies and trucking logistics.

Seoul Robotics is a 3D perception solution company using deep learning artificial intelligence (AI) to power the future of mobility,

By placing sensors equipped with 3D perception software around vehicles — traffic lights, buildings and highway overhangs — the system can fully capture the environment and communicate with other sensors and the 4/5G systems that come standard on vehicles.

The LV5 CTRL TWR collects all the 3D data, and then automates vehicles accordingly using V2X communications.

“Level 5 mobility has been proven to be more challenging to achieve than expected, until now,” said HanBin Lee, CEO of Seoul Robotics. “LV5 CTRL TWR has massive potential to fuel autonomous mobility, and we are thrilled to continue expanding upon the implementation of this technology with BMW and other partners.”

“Ultimately, these systems will be deployed in additional public and commercial settings, powering aspects of our everyday lives, such as autonomously navigated parking and public transit,” Lee said. “With LV5 CTRL TWR, this future is closer and more accessible than ever.”

The collaboration with BMW leverages hundreds of connected lidar and 3D sensors on infrastructure to automate newly manufactured vehicles within factories and vehicle distribution centers without any human involvement. By making this process autonomous, automakers like BMW can increase operational efficiencies and safety within automotive logistics.

January 10, 2022
Alps Alpine and Furuno develop GNSS module

UMSZ6 module allows high-accuracy vehicle positioning to within 50 cm without correction data

Photo: Alps Alpine

Alps Alpine and Furuno Electric Co. Ltd. have jointly developed the UMSZ6 series GNSS module, providing high-accuracy positioning to within 50 centimeters without having to use position correction data.

On typical 3-meter-wide roads, the module reliably enables vehicle positioning down to the lane level, a requirement of various V2X applications, and makes possible greater sophistication of autonomous driving functions. This is achieved using a multi-frequency GNSS receiver chip based on Furuno’s Extended Carrier Aiding technology.

The module is compact at 17.8 × 18.0 × 3.11 mm while conforming to automotive-grade specifications. Running costs associated with real-time-kinematic (RTK) base stations, correction data receiving, and correction data use are not needed, maximizing cost performance.

Under the joint agreement, Furuno developed and supplied an original multi-frequency GNSS receiver chip — eRideOPUS 9 (model ePV9000B) — and algorithm. Alps Alpine is the first company to use the chip, with the UMSZ6 series.

Alps Alpine plans to carry out evaluations within a real automotive environment to assess performance and interoperability with V2X and other communication modules. Mass production is expected in 2023.

December 8, 2021
DENSO and Brandmotion join on V2X integration
Photo: jonathange/iStock/Getty Images Plus/Getty Images

Brandmotion LLC is collaborating with DENSO Products and Services Americas to offer a one-stop service to cities seeking to equip vehicles with advanced vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technology.

DENSO is a global mobility supplier and Brandmotion develops vehicle integration for V2X deployments. By combining forces, the two companies are offering cities and agencies an easier path to vehicle integration for V2X deployment testing.

V2X technology has been proposed by the U.S. Department of Transportation as the best way to address the chronic death toll on America’s roadways, with nearly 37,000 lives lost and a record 6,721 pedestrians killed at intersections in 2020. Many city managers and state transportation agencies are looking to deploy V2X technology regionally to reduce vehicle crashes and fatalities and improve pedestrian safety.

The DENSO-Brandmotion partnership simplifies the process of equipping vehicles for long-term testing. Many cities have had to assemble the elements of a large vehicle V2X deployment manually, developing specifications and coordinating multiple vendors.

Brandmotion has served the Tampa Connected Vehicle Pilot for five years and provided responsive professional-grade automotive integration and service capability. DENSO is the on-board unit (OBU) supplier to OEMs for phase 4 of Tampa’s pilot project, bringing true Tier 1 development capabilities to the project.

The partnership will provide transportation agencies with the following vehicle-related deployment services:
- the DENSO On Board Unit (OBU) platform (Hercules), which has the ability to run and process applications that support both cellular V2X (C-V2X) communications and dedicated short range communications (DSRC) in an automotive environment (while DSRC is still permitted by the U.S. Federal Communication Commission)
- a standard set of applications, including blindspot/lane-change warning, electronic emergency brake light, forward crash warning, intersection movement assist, red light violation warning, and traffic signal priority
- custom application development for specific agency application goals
- thorough vehicle-specific installation planning, vehicle system design and validation
- small to large-scale installation and tech support.
October 18, 2021
U-blox GNSS + dead-reckoning auto module operational up to 105° C

Continuous accurate navigation in all environments with sensor-based spoofing detection

Photo: U-blox

U-blox is introducing a series of automotive-grade positioning modules that are operational up to 105° C (221° F). The NEO-M9L modules and the M9140-KA-DR chip are built on the robust u-blox M9 GNSS platform and use dead-reckoning techniques to provide accurate position data when satellite signals are compromised or unavailable.

The u-blox NEO-M9L-20A and NEO-M9L-01A modules, as well as the M9140-KA-DR chip, are specially designed for first-mount automotive solutions. The modules and the chip are all automotive-grade, with the NEO-M9L-01A variant offering an extended operational temperature range up to 105 °C, making it suitable for integration on the roof, behind the windscreen, or inside hot electronics control units.

Applications include integrated navigation systems such as in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) and head units, integrated telematics control units and V2X.

The modules include new-generation 6-axis inertial measurement units (IMUs) that deliver low-latency 100-Hz RAW data output. The modules offer a low-latency 50-Hz position update rate, making it suitable for use in real-time applications. The automotive dead-reckoning (ADR) output combines the GNSS fix with IMU data to deliver accurate positioning output for various scenarios.

Additional GNSS-only output enables seamless integration into a variety of third-party applications. The receiver also supports wake-on-motion, which enables smart features such as theft protection and power-efficient designs.

The modules offer innovative sensor-based spoofing detection for advanced security and robustness. The chip offers protection against possible GNSS signal spoofing, which can cause navigation systems to report faulty position data or time.

“The u-blox M9 sensor-fusion products address the latest automotive market demands for quality, reliability and robustness. Availability and trustworthiness of position output are increased by using concurrent reception of four GNSS constellations,” said Aravinthan Athmanathan, product manager, Product Center Positioning at u-blox. “In addition, the spoofing-detection feature is brought to a new level compared to the predecessor. Paired with low-latency position output, attitude, and sensor data, the u-blox NEO-M9L is ready to meet current and future challenges facing the automotive market.”

All the module variants are compliant with AEC-Q104, the latest standard for ensuring the reliability of modules used in automotive applications. Engineering samples and evaluation kits will be available by the end of September.

July 16, 2021
Trimble RTX corrections now transmitted through Sirius XM

Photo: Blue Planet Studio/iStock/Getty Images Plus/Getty Images

Trimble RTX GNSS corrections are now being transmitted through the SiriusXM satellite radio network, specifically through Sirius XM Connected Vehicles Services.

As a result, new cars sold in the contiguous U.S. and Canada equipped with SiriusXM’s Gen8 satellite chipset will be able to receive RTX GNSS corrections, enabling high-accuracy positioning — a key component of autonomous on-road applications.

With the addition of the Trimble RTX Auto software library, any new vehicle that receives SiriusXM broadcasts with a Gen8 satellite chipset can leverage a positioning solution ideal for advanced driving assistance systems (ADAS), autonomous driving (AD) and vehicle-to-everything (V2X) applications.

Because the SiriusXM hardware is already installed in most new vehicles, automotive OEMs can avoid the cost of additional hardware to receive GNSS positioning corrections.

“We are excited to add Trimble RTX Corrections to our suite of Connected Vehicle services,” said John Jasper, senior vice president for SiriusXM Connected Vehicle Services. “By delivering this service over our satellite broadcast network, automakers can access relevant location correction data throughout the contiguous U.S. and portions of Canada to facilitate ADAS, AD and V2X applications without the need to access a cellular network.”

Trimble RTX is a trusted precise-positioning technology of choice for car manufacturers and their suppliers, and was the first solution adopted for production use in passenger vehicles. RTX technology is a critical component of General Motors’ Super Cruise™ system—the first hands-free driving assistance system for the highway. To date, Super Cruise and Trimble RTX have enabled over 5 million miles of hands-free driving on America’s roadways.

Designed for automotive applications, the RTX Auto software library is Automotive Safety Integrity Level B (ASIL-B) certified and developed using the Automotive SPICE process maturity framework (Software Process Improvement and Capability Determination – ISO 15504). The RTX network operation is certified according to ISO 20000 standards, providing further peace of mind for any industry deploying safety-critical applications. No other precise positioning solution offers the same level of performance, reliability, versatility and coverage worldwide.

Trimble RTX technology provides real-time, multi-constellation correction of GNSS observations to provide significantly more precise position estimates. Standard GPS signals can drift up to 25 feet, which could cause incorrect lane identification. When used in conjunction with high-definition maps, cameras, radar and inertial sensors, Trimble RTX provides lane-level positioning performance for semi-autonomous and autonomous vehicles.

“The alliance with SiriusXM provides an expansive distribution pipeline for Trimble RTX into new passenger vehicles,” said Patricia Boothe, senior vice president of Trimble’s Autonomy Sector. “OEMs now have an easy, cost-efficient alternative to bring high-precision GNSS into their vehicles. Together, Trimble and SiriusXM are helping to accelerate the adoption of real-time positioning in connected vehicles, ultimately supporting safety-critical V2X applications.”

December 3, 2020
Swift Navigation precise positioning technology improves GNSS receiver accuracy

Swift Navigation announced its precise positioning platform can improve the performance of existing single-frequency GNSS positioning, found on most production vehicles today, from the standard average of 3 meters to lane-level accuracy without changing existing hardware and antenna.

According to Swift, these findings are demonstrated during the regular test drives the Swift team conducts to confirm the efficacy of its solutions and software updates. The graph depicts the improved positioning accuracy and availability when a single-frequency receiver is used with corrections from the Skylark precise positioning service and the Starling positioning engine, Swift said. A performance improvement from 2 meters to 0.7 meters for 95% of this mixed-environment drive was achieved on a production vehicle with a low-cost automotive receiver and antenna.

Graph: Swift Navigation

Skylark, Swift’s wide area, cloud-based GNSS corrections service delivers real-time, high-precision positioning, is hardware-independent and is most accurate and seamless when integrated with Starling as a complete solution. Starling is a high-precision positioning engine that works with a variety of automotive-grade GNSS chipsets and inertial sensors, making it ideal for autonomous, ADAS (advanced driver assistance systems), V2X (vehicle-to-everything) and navigation applications, Swift added. Starling is platform-independent and also enhances the measurements for commercially available GNSS receivers.

“Swift is excited to share these findings with the public,” said Joel Gibson, executive vice president of automotive at Swift. “The ability to provide higher accuracy to programs without requiring hardware changes can be a game changer for cost-sensitive programs and brings immediate visible benefit to navigation systems, V2X and many other applications.”

November 16, 2020