Autonomous self-driving through sensor fusion in 2019 with 20 cm accuracy

delphi-mobileye-infographic-finalDelphi Automotive is partnering to develop a complete automated driving solution with Mobileye that will provides a level four and five turn-key self-driving solution.

The system is a fusion of sensor data, vision data, artificial intelligence and route learning.

“The whole idea of the fusing the different technologies works like the way people learn. Each time the car goes over the route, it learns more about it,” said Gary O’Brien PhD, Global Advanced Engineering Director at Delphi Electronics and Safety (E&S), who says the system will calculate how objects are moving and through the system to achieve an error of only 20 centimeters (7.8740157 inches) within the lane.

The platform called “Central Sensing Localization and Planning” (CSLP) will be demonstrated in  urban and highway driving at the 2017 CES in Las Vegas and production ready for 2019.

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Mobileye designs computer vision systems, mapping, localization and machine learning focused on the automotive domain. Delphi develops automated driving software, sensors and systems integration. Working together, the two companies will co-develop what they claim is the market’s first turnkey Level 4/5 automated driving solution.

The automated driving solution is based on key technologies from each company. These include Mobileye’s EyeQ 4/5 System on a Chip (SoC) with sensor signal processing, fusion, world view generation and Road Experience Management (REM) system, which will be used for real-time mapping and vehicle localization. Delphi will incorporate automated driving software algorithms from its Ottomatika acquisition, which include the Path and Motion Planning features, and Delphi’s Multi-Domain Controller (MDC) with the full camera, radar and LiDAR suite.

The teams from both companies are developing the next generation of sensor fusion technology as well as the next generation human-like “driving policy.”  This module combines Ottomatika’s driving behavior modeling with Mobileye’s deep reinforcement learning in order to yield driving capabilities necessary for negotiating with other human drivers and pedestrians in complex urban scenes.

The technology is an important step for automakers who are not working on their own autonomous driving technology noted analysts. The smaller independent OEMS could buy this system and deploy it very quickly. It may also allow car brands to offer high level autonomous driving for a lower price.

We have been invited for a test drive in January in Las Vegas and will report back on how the sytem works. We went for ride in a Delphi self-driving Audi at CES 2016. Read all the details and see the video.

Car companies such as Ford, Nissan and Toyota are working on their own self-driving solutions while technology giant Google and possibly Apple are exploring self-driving options.