A new solution developed by Continental, a German supplier, might provide cars and their drivers with several pairs of eyes.
Continental claims that their Collective Perception technology enables vehicles to pool picture data from other vehicles, as well as sensors in roadways and buildings, to increase a driver’s field of vision.
The technology may, for example, allow a motorist at a city crossroads to see around the corner of a building that a bike is approaching by utilizing photos from other cars or adjacent traffic cameras.
Continental’s operations outside of Chicago’s senior manager for portfolio development in connected vehicle solutions and V2X, Robert Gee, said the business had been working on Collective Perception for nearly two years. The idea, he added, is to identify practical methods to employ connected-vehicle technology to safeguard individuals, including pedestrians, bikers, and scooter riders who aren’t already linked.
“We need to find a way to safeguard these people who aren’t connected while still using what’s currently on vehicles,” he told Automotive News.
Data exchanged across cars “is not always going to be easily interpretable,” according to Gee, because sensors such as cameras and radar systems are adjusted differently in each vehicle. Collective Perception may be able to assist in the translation of data between cars and between vehicles and infrastructure.
Blind spots for driver-assist systems may be reduced, and drivers can be readily notified about possible threats, by providing a vehicle access to more data from the cars and infrastructure in its region.
“It allows one car to utilize its own sensors to detect a vulnerable road user and relay that info to other vehicles, allowing them to determine whether or not this will be in my path,” Gee explained.
Continental, a 150-year-old legacy supplier, is creating future goods to protect its place in a period of fast changing car technology, according to Collective Perception.
It also demonstrates how the R&D schedule for suppliers that are used to manufacturing tangible things, like as tires and engine components, is shifting. Suppliers are being compelled to explore for ideas outside their present product scope.