Automatic Driving Assistance (ADAS) based on map data has been for a long time promoted by the like of NAVTEQ/Nokia, Tele Atlas/TomTom and smaller companies such as Intermap. But what does happen if the vehicle itself records the road geometry to use it for ADAS?
This is actually what Volvo Trucks is doing in a new product called I-See that is focussed on saving fuel for long haulage firms.
I-See is linked to the transmission's tilt sensor and obtains information about the road topography digitally. I-See can recall about 4,000 gradients, corresponding to a distance of 5,000 kilometres.
"I-See is an autopilot linked to the truck's cruise control, taking over and handling gearchanges, throttle and brakes on gradients, ensuring they all operate in the most fuel-efficient way possible. I-See freewheels as much as possible - so on certain stretches of road no fuel is used at all," explained Hayder Wokil, product manager at Volvo Trucks.
This is actually what Volvo Trucks is doing in a new product called I-See that is focussed on saving fuel for long haulage firms.
I-See is linked to the transmission's tilt sensor and obtains information about the road topography digitally. I-See can recall about 4,000 gradients, corresponding to a distance of 5,000 kilometres.
"I-See is an autopilot linked to the truck's cruise control, taking over and handling gearchanges, throttle and brakes on gradients, ensuring they all operate in the most fuel-efficient way possible. I-See freewheels as much as possible - so on certain stretches of road no fuel is used at all," explained Hayder Wokil, product manager at Volvo Trucks.
"In this way fuel consumption can be cut by up to 5%. This figure is based on the results of simulations and tests on public roads. I-See requires use of the cruise control, and we know that on average drivers use cruise control about half the time. For a truck in normal operation, covering 140,000 kilometres a year, the saving will be about 1000 litres of fuel annually. This makes a big difference to the haulage firm's profitability," said Hayder Wokil.
I-See will become available on the market in 2013 Volvo Trucks said.
For the time being the recording of the road topography is made by each truck for its own use, but it is probably not science fiction to believe that Volvo engineers are thinking about ways to mutualize this data between trucks and beyond.
I-See will become available on the market in 2013 Volvo Trucks said.
For the time being the recording of the road topography is made by each truck for its own use, but it is probably not science fiction to believe that Volvo engineers are thinking about ways to mutualize this data between trucks and beyond.
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