Mercedes-Benz's future
self-driving cars will rely on a cloud-based high-definition map
updated in real time to see the world around them.
The machine-readable map, known as the HD Live Map, will
come from mapping company HERE, a former unit of Nokia sold
to Audi, BMW and Mercedes in 2015 for $3.1 billion. Intel also has
a stake
in HERE, which it acquired in 2017 for its own self-driving car
developments.
The HD Live Map is a key component of Mercedes' self-driving
system, which right now only offers driver assistance but will eventually
feature fully self-driving capability. The HD Live Map is composed of multiple
layers providing various details, for example lane level information, dynamic
road network and situation changes, and speed profile data for vehicles on the
road. A self-driving car would use this information to know exactly where it
is, what lies ahead and what it should do in various scenarios.
Importantly, the map has the ability to update itself in
near real time by crowd-sourcing sensor data from cars within the network. This
in turn will enable self-driving cars to proactively adjust to changing road
conditions, for example switching lanes and adjusting speed ahead of time in
the case of an upcoming lane closure. The technology can also provide human
drivers with warnings about upcoming road conditions.
Car sensor-sourced data is the most crucial element for the
HD Live Map when it comes to updating because of the sheer volume of cars on
the road that can detect and validate changes to the map. HERE has already
been collecting data from various Audi, BMW and Mercedes models for
the past couple of years, building up the map.
“Maps with centimeter precision updating themselves in near
real time is one key element for autonomous driving,” Mercedes R&D chief
Ola Källenius said in a statement. “With the new HD Live Map and the rich,
continuously growing information it provides we are taking a big step on the
way towards autonomous driving.”
Mercedes is yet to reveal when it will have a fully
self-driving car on the road. Audi's Volkswagen Group parent along with BMW
have both committed to having a fully self-driving car on the road by 2021,
likely at Level 4 capacity meaning there will be restrictions on where the
vehicle can function in self-driving mode.
Meanwhile, Waymo plans to start a commercial self-driving
taxi service in Phoenix, Arizona as early as
2018 and General Motors says it will have self-driving taxis up and
running in 2019.
source: https://www.motorauthority.com/news/1115400_mercedes-integrates-highly-detailed-here-maps-in-self-driving-tech
by Viknesh Vijayenthiran
http://www.boscheuropean.com
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