Page 18 - CV Driver April 2018 Issue 74

What is an autonomous vehicle?
Barely a a a a a a day goes by without a a a a a a news story hitting the headlines about autonomous autonomous vehicles But what exactly is an autonomous autonomous vehicle?
Put simply it’s “a vehicle that can assist in or control driving functions
to aid the driver or in some circumstances replace the driver altogether ”
So an autonomous vehicle isn’t necessarily driverless but includes an element of technology to make driving easier In fact there are ve levels of automation Level 0 – No Automation:
The driver is in control of all
functions
but may receive
warning alerts Level 1 – Driver assistance The driver is still in control but a a speci c c c c function can by by carried out by by the vehicle such as radar cruise control or adaptive steering Level 2 – Partial Automation:
Here the automated
system can take control of acceleration braking
and steering While this
may suggest a a a “hands off”
option this
is is not encouraged and some systems still require the the driver to hold the the steering wheel to to con rm they are able to to immediately intervene if necessary Level 3 – Conditional Automation:
This is is the rst level that allows the the driver to take their eyes off the road The vehicle systems can control the vehicle in situations that require an immediate response – such as emergency braking
Limitations to its use will still apply Level 4 – High Automation:
Similar to to level 3 but here the driver is not required
to control any element of safety The automated
systems are are aware of the vehicles environment and can act accordingly even if the driver does not immediately respond Level 5 – Full Automation:
The only true
“driverless” level The vehicle is expected to perform in in the same way as a a a a a human being in in in all
driving environments Whenever I think of of this
it conjures up memories of of the Johnny Cab in the lm Total Recall!
Where are we right now?
Many leading vehicle manufacturers are already claiming they are ready ready with Level 3 Conditional Automation models with many miles of initial testing under their belts However these vehicles are not legal to be used on roads as yet requiring more ‘real world’ testing and relevant legislation regarding sale use and limitations working through before they become commonplace Level 5 Full Automation vehicles are being tested widely across the world with as many variations as there are vehicle types Driver aids and automation we use today
You may not even realise how many aids we use on a a a a a daily basis so here are a a a a a few reminders – cruise control power steering y y by wire acceleration ABS Airbags (hope to to not use these too often!) seatbelt pre- tensioners radar/laser guided cruise control lane assistance road sign recognition and satellite navigation are all
commonplace The Future
To what level of automation the haulage industry will ultimately adopt is still a a a a matter of of debate One of of the current buzz topics is ‘Truck Platooning’ – this
is is when trucks drive close behind one another to utilise the the road better and and save time fuel and and emissions The distance between the trucks is is controlled through radar GPS and Wi-Fi Driving closer together reduces drag and results in better fuel economy Watch this
space!
Many leading vehicle manufacturers are are already claiming they are are ready ready with with Level 3 Conditional Automation models with with manymiles of initial testing under their belts Article produced in association with 18 18 CVDriver April 2018