Skip to main content

Bosch takes first steps to autonomous driving

High-performance assistance systems, which control speed and the distance between vehicles, already help drivers reach their destinations safely and more comfortably. They also warn drivers of traffic jams and help them maneuver into even the tightest of parking spaces. Automotive technology and services supplier Bosch is set to expand its future range of driver assistance technology with systems will take on a growing role in guiding vehicles through traffic jams. More specifically, they will brake, accele
February 1, 2013 Read time: 2 mins
High-performance assistance systems, which control speed and the distance between vehicles, already help drivers reach their destinations safely and more comfortably. They also warn drivers of traffic jams and help them maneuver into even the tightest of parking spaces.

Automotive technology and services supplier 311 Bosch is set to expand its future range of driver assistance technology with systems will take on a growing role in guiding vehicles through traffic jams. More specifically, they will brake, accelerate, and steer completely autonomously. The traffic jam assistant will operate in most stop-and-go traffic situations, when the vehicle is moving at speeds between 0 and 50 kilometres per hour.

According to German motor club ADAC, the total length of tailbacks in Germany alone amounted to 405,000 kilometres in 2011. “The traffic jam assistant helps drivers arrive more relaxed at their destination, even in dense traffic,” says Gerhard Steiger, president of the Bosch Chassis Systems Control division.

The first generation of the traffic jam assistant is expected to enter series production in 2014. In the following years, the feature will be enhanced to cover ever-faster speeds and more complex driving situations. Eventually, the traffic jam assistant will serve as a highway pilot, making fully autonomous driving a reality.

Adaptive cruise control already tracks the vehicles ahead and adapts the distance and speed of the driver’s own vehicle accordingly.

Combining the Bosch electronic stability program (ESP) with the additional support of lane-detection cameras and electromechanical steering forms the technical basis for autonomous driving. High-performance software calculates the appropriate driving instructions for safer and less stressful driving. Automatic lane changing is the next step. It calls for two additional features; a rear-mounted radar sensor that also detects fast-approaching vehicles and a dynamic navigation map. Such maps, which operate via a mobile network connection, can keep drivers informed of current roadwork sites and local speed restrictions.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • New riders get onboard the metabustrip
    October 5, 2016
    Bus travel booking is moving into the digital age as David Crawford discovers. A global surge in demand for intercity bus travel is fuelling new initiatives to make it easier for passengers to access information and book via the web by, fo example, using multi-sourced metasearch engines
  • CarSim plug-in for UC-win/Road
    February 2, 2012
    Japanese 3D simulation specialist Forum8 has launched its latest Drive Simulation software plug-in for its award winning interactive VR software UC-win/Road. The plug-in enables users to benefit from the improved vehicle dynamics afforded by incorporating CarSim software into their overall simulator system. CarSim, produced by Mechanical Simulation, is specialist software for simulating and analysing the behaviour of four-wheeled vehicles in response to steering, braking, and acceleration inputs. Chassis sy
  • Bespoke ITS is helping to reduced collisions on America’s rural roads
    October 22, 2014
    David Crawford cherrypicks conference and award highlights Almost 30% of all US citizens live in rural areas or very small communities, and 34 of the 50 states exceed this level in their own populations, with the proportions rising as high as 85%. And although rural routes carry only 35% of all traffic, the accidents that occur on them account for some 54% of all US road traffic accident deaths.
  • Radar effective as detection tool for hard shoulder running
    July 23, 2012
    Navtech Radar's millimetric-wave systems are being researched on the M42 in England to look into how this type of detector can assist in the opening of the hard shoulder as an additional running lane. Here, the company's Stephen Clark talks about the technology being used. In England, the Highways Agency's (the HA, an executive agency of the Department for Transport) Managed Motorways system - formerly called Active Traffic Management - uses electronic signs and signals mounted on gantries to direct drivers