Reliable Localization Enables AV Integration

August 31, 2021 | AUVSI News

AUVSI and SAE International recently teamed up to host the first Business of Automated Mobility Forum, bringing together industry leaders and experts from across the automated mobility industry to develop guiding strategies for success. During the Forum, panelists discussed how transportation technologies and systems are evolving at a rapid pace and could lead to a variety of benefits – including the possibility of decreased traffic accidents and greenhouse gas emissions. However, delivering on these benefits requires an approach to advanced mobility that puts safety and reliability first. Attendees were able to dive deeper into autonomous vehicle (AV) safety and reliability during an Enterprise Solutions Series presented by SBG Systems. Jenna McGuigan, Sales Engineer North America and Laurent Le Thuaut, Business Developer Unmanned Systems discussed the keys for safe and reliable AV navigation. 

Reliability in All Conditions

Le Thuaut condensed core AV operations into four categories:

1. Perception, through which the vehicle understands the world;

2. Localization and mapping;

3. Path planning, which includes calculating trajectories; and

4. Control, or following the calculated trajectory. 

Given the challenges of constantly updating maps in changing driving environments, navigation systems must be redundant and multi-layer. Achieving resiliency in autonomous operations requires the combination of relative positioning, map-matching, and GNSS/INS navigation. Robust sensors are critical in enabling real-time navigation, ensuring operational reliability, maintaining stability during maneuvers. An Inertial Navigation System (INS) is able to keep the trajectory precise in all conditions (tunnel, urban canyons, etc…) thanks to the real-time fusion of Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) data with inertial (INS) information coming from gyroscopes and accelerometers. Applications for inertial sensors include AVs, autonomous shipping and freight surveying and mapping, camera pointing, industrial automation, and UAV navigation.

SBG Systems’s Solutions

SBG Systems manufactures inertial measurement units (IMUs), all-in-one GNSS/INS sensors, and processing units, all of which combine to provide centimeter-level accuracy. The company also offers expert services and software solutions. To learn more about how INS create the roadmap for AVs, check out SBG’s presentation below: