Photo: Toyota
Woven Alpha, a subsidiary of Toyota Motor Corporation, will provide its latest HD mapping technology in order to develop and test Mitsubishi’s innovative driver assistance feature for autonomous vehicles.
Two of the biggest Japanese players in the automotive industry are coming together to increase driving safety for vehicles with high levels of autonomy. On one hand, Mitsubishi has created an innovative Entering Curve Speed Warning (ECSW) feature, using its heavy-duty Super Great truck, and on the other hand, Woven Alpha (Toyota’s subsidiary) has developed an Automated Mapping Platform (AMP), based on high-definition (HD) maps. Together, these systems will make autonomous trucks a lot safer on the road.
The problem with navigation maps is the lack of precision and real-time information. Especially in the case of autonomous vehicles, every foot counts, and these maps are not accurate enough to enable precise safety apps. And they can become out of date for entire months. At the same time, generating precise mapping data and keeping the maps up to date is too expensive and takes too long.
The answer to these issues is an automated mapping platform, like the one developed by Woven Alpha. This solution blends wide area coverage satellite imagery with almost real-time data from vehicle fleets, to reflect any road change, as quickly as possible, into the HD maps. In turn, this helps driver assistance and automated driving functions to operate with much higher safety.
One of these features is Mitsubishi’s ECSW, which warns in advance and predicts the safest speed (based on the vehicle’s condition), when it’s getting close to an upcoming sharp curve. In order to do so, the ECSW requires precise data on road and lane conditions, which is what the HD maps will help with.
The 2 companies are now focused on testing the application of Woven Alpha’s AMP for Mitsubishi’s ECSW safety feature. Based on the result of these tests, future performance upgrades for driver assistance systems will be developed, with the intention of making them available for other vehicle manufacturers as well.
The problem with navigation maps is the lack of precision and real-time information. Especially in the case of autonomous vehicles, every foot counts, and these maps are not accurate enough to enable precise safety apps. And they can become out of date for entire months. At the same time, generating precise mapping data and keeping the maps up to date is too expensive and takes too long.
The answer to these issues is an automated mapping platform, like the one developed by Woven Alpha. This solution blends wide area coverage satellite imagery with almost real-time data from vehicle fleets, to reflect any road change, as quickly as possible, into the HD maps. In turn, this helps driver assistance and automated driving functions to operate with much higher safety.
One of these features is Mitsubishi’s ECSW, which warns in advance and predicts the safest speed (based on the vehicle’s condition), when it’s getting close to an upcoming sharp curve. In order to do so, the ECSW requires precise data on road and lane conditions, which is what the HD maps will help with.
The 2 companies are now focused on testing the application of Woven Alpha’s AMP for Mitsubishi’s ECSW safety feature. Based on the result of these tests, future performance upgrades for driver assistance systems will be developed, with the intention of making them available for other vehicle manufacturers as well.
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