Those things you don’t know about Autonomous Driving

Classification of Autonomous Driving

At present, the classification of autonomous driving of vehicles is mainly proposed by NHTSA (American Highway Safety Administration) and SAE (Society of Motor Vehicle Engineers).

NHTSA and SAE have some inconsistencies in the classification, title, and definition of autonomous driving, mainly in L4 and L5. NHTSA divides autonomous driving into 5 levels, while SAE refines 1 level into 6 levels.

Everyone often talks about L1 and L2. The front L is the abbreviation of Level, and the number at the back represents the specific level of automatic driving. The higher the number, the higher the level of automatic driving.

Next, we will introduce L0, L1, L2, L3, L4, and L5 according to the classification of SAE.

At present, the classification of autonomous driving levels does not distinguish between trucks and cars. Most truck companies in my country also use this standard to classify their truck products into the autonomous driving level.

● Two dimensions to classify autonomous driving

In order to make the introduction clearer, I specifically consulted professionals. At present, the classification of autonomous driving in the industry is mainly based on two dimensions.

1. Horizontal and vertical control of the vehicle

2. The driving state of the driver

Longitudinal control of the vehicle: mainly the acceleration and deceleration of the vehicle. The vehicle's accelerator, brake, gear shift and other operations are automatically controlled by the system.

Vehicle lateral control: lateral control mainly refers to the steering control of the vehicle. Lane keeping, automatic lane change and turning belong to the lateral control of the vehicle.

Driver's driving state: specifically refers to the driver's driving participation in the vehicle. The lower the driver's driving participation, the higher the system's participation in automatic driving, and the higher the level of autonomous driving.

According to the above-mentioned divisional dimensions, let us introduce the specific levels.

L0 manual driving

Vehicles of this level are completely operated by the driver, and vehicle operations such as braking, steering, and accelerator are completely controlled manually by the driver. Lane departure warning, anti-collision warning and other functions are only warning prompts, and the next operation still needs the driver to complete.

L1 assisted driving

The system can perform partial operations on the vehicle. According to the industry, it can automatically control one of the horizontal and vertical directions of the vehicle to achieve L1 automatic driving.

The current L1 level is mainly based on some longitudinal vehicle control. The forward and deceleration of the vehicle mostly correspond to adaptive cruise (ACC) and automatic emergency braking (AEBS) functions. The smart truck launched by Sinotruk last year is actually L1 in the strict sense.

In terms of hardware, L1 vehicles will add user monocular cameras and millimeter wave radars to achieve ACC, AEBS and other functions. These hardwares are the basis for the realization of L2 and even L5.

L2 semi-autonomous driving

L2 level automatic driving can realize the operation of multiple functions of the vehicle, and the remaining few functions require the driver to operate.

In addition to the longitudinal vehicle control, the lateral control of the vehicle is also required, and the realization of the lateral automatic driving technology is mostly the lane keeping function (LKAS).

In terms of hardware, in addition to monocular camera, millimeter wave radar to achieve adaptive cruise (ACC)/automatic emergency braking (AEBS), lane departure warning (LDWS) and other functions, it is also necessary to add ESP electro-hydraulic steering gear to achieve lane keeping function .

L3 conditional autonomous driving

The vehicle can perform most of the functional operations, and in most cases the vehicle can also handle it by itself.

Compared with L2, it can greatly reduce the driver's supervision of the vehicle. In an emergency, the driver needs to take over the vehicle at any time. Compared with L2 level vehicles, L3 can change lanes and overtake by itself, which will become more intelligent.

L4 Autonomous driving under specific conditions

For vehicles of this level, the degree of autonomous driving is further improved. For example, in certain places such as highways and ports, the vehicles can complete the driving by themselves. If you encounter a traffic accident suddenly, the driver may need to take over for manual driving at this time.

Lidar will be added to improve the vehicle's ability to judge road conditions. At the same time, the Internet of Vehicles will also be added, which can realize some information interactions between cars and cars, and between cars and roads, and assist in improving autonomous driving capabilities.

L5 fully autonomous driving

For vehicles of this level, all driving is done entirely by the vehicle itself, without manual operation. At this time, the driver can watch movies, drink tea, or even sleep. In other words, as long as the regulations allow, the truck does not need a driver.

What is the relationship between autonomous driving and unmanned driving?

The scope of autonomous driving is relatively large, and it can include unmanned driving and intelligent driving.

Divided by technology level, the highest level is unmanned driving. In fact, the ultimate development goal of autonomous driving is to realize unmanned driving.

Auto-driving ≠ unmanned driving. Auto-driving is more of an auxiliary function, which assists the driver in driving the vehicle, improves safety, and reduces driving intensity. The driver can take over the vehicle to operate at any time while the vehicle is driving.

Unmanned, no driver is required to drive, and the vehicle may even have no cab. To be precise, the vehicle at this time is a means of transportation.

What is the meaning of autonomous driving?

Everyone has mixed opinions on autonomous driving, but most people are very optimistic about it, saying that it is the future trend.

Although there is still a period of time before the real autonomous driving, it is not difficult for us to find that many autonomous driving technologies have already begun to be applied. For example, ACC and AEBS, which have been mentioned more recently, have begun to appear on trucks. Take AEBS as an example. When you are driving fatigued, it is likely to be a life-saving function, which can reduce rear-end collisions caused by high-speed driving and save many lives.

In addition to improving driving safety, autonomous driving technology will affect the transformation of the entire industry. The ultimate goal of autonomous driving is to realize unmanned driving, which can realize the interconnection of cars and cars, and the interconnection of cars and roads, which can improve the efficiency of logistics transportation and reduce road congestion. , Reduce truck energy consumption and many other benefits.