Mercedes Benz has shown off its truck of the future at this year’s International Commercial Vehicle show (IAA) in Hanover.
The Mercedes-Benz FutureTruck2025 is a vision displaying how, in 10 years’ time, trucks could be driving autonomously on motorways. To do this the trackmaker connects existing assistance systems with enhanced sensors to the ‘Highway Pilot’ system.
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The prototype demonstrated the capabilities of the FutureTruck2025 in the summer at speeds of up to 80km/h (50mph) in realistic traffic situations on a section of the A14 motorway in Magdeburg, Germany.
To communicate from the future workplace the driver uses a tablet computer accommodated in a newly designed centre console but is removable. Here the driver can process documents, schedule more destinations, accept further orders and arrange the next break. The computer screen can be configured to suit individual requirements, also enabling the driver to call up all key trip data.
As an overall concept it combines the high-tech driver’s area of the future with a state-of-the-art, paperless office and a living room.
However the FutureTruck2025 is not part of a platoon. It does not need to be daisy-chained to other vehicles either. Radar sensors and camera technology enable it to drive autonomously, independently of other vehicles or central control stations and the culmination of the company’s highly intelligent ‘Highway Pilot’ system, which resembles the autopilot on an aircraft. Networking with other trucks or passenger cars extends its abilities further, but is not necessary for autonomous driving.
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By GlobalDataA radar sensor in the lower area of the front end scans the road ahead at long and short range. The front radar sensor has a range of 250m and scans an 18-degree segment. The short-range sensor has a range of 70m and scans a 130-degree segment. The radar sensor is the basis for the proximity control and emergency braking safety systems already available today.
A stereo camera installed above the instrument support behind the windscreen keeps the area ahead of the vehicle in view. This is currently the location of a mono-camera if optional Lane Keeping Assist is ordered. The range of the stereo camera is 100m, and it scans an area of 45 degrees horizontally and 27 degrees vertically.
The stereo camera identifies single- or two-lane roads, pedestrians, moving and stationary objects, all objects within the monitored area and also the road surface. The camera recognises everything that contrasts with the background, and is therefore also able to measure clearances precisely. The front stereo camera also registers the information on traffic signs.
In addition to object and distance recognition, the stereo camera recognises lane markings as a major function for autonomous lane guidance. The road surface to the left and right of the truck is monitored by radar sensors installed in the sides. They are located on the left and right, ahead of the tractor unit’s rear axle. The sensors have a range of 60m and cover an angle of 170 degrees in the longitudinal direction.
All sensors on board the concept are networked (multi-sensor fusion), and provide a complete image of the surroundings. All moving and stationary objects in the truck’s vicinity are registered. Fusion of the data by a high-performance multi-core processor in the central computer links the data from all sensors in the whole area in front of and beside the truck.
Mercedes said that while the technology for autonomous vehicles exist, legislation also needs to be adapted to this new dimension in driving. A further development of the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic, which almost all European countries have signed and implemented, is already under way.
The Convention came about at a time when autonomous driving was still in the realms of science fiction. A committee of United Nations experts has recently supplemented it providing the basis for legalisation on autonomous driving. Corresponding systems will be permitted in the future, as long as they can be deactivated or overruled by the driver at any time.
