Autonomous driving puts winter games on smart wheels

文章来源: CHINA INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY NEWS
发布时间: 2021/12/1 13:51:00

  Turning on the signal indicator to start journey, slowing down and going around when seeing pedestrians, slowing down and making evasive moves when detecting objects - these are some of the actions performed by a slew of autonomous vehicles at the Beijing 2022 headquarters - Shougang (aka Capital Steel) Park in Beijing. Fitted with laser radars, cameras, these vehicles can accurately identify road signs, various road situations, and respond immediately and properly, daring to challenge veteran drivers.

  A three-year spotless service record at the Park has made them a name card of the winter games team.

  High-precision map ensures accurate positioning

  In August 2018, Tsinghua University and Capital Steel Group headed a government project on development of autonomous vehicles for Shougang Park. With dedicated efforts from 17 participating organizations for three years, Level 4 self-driving vehicles of multiple models now cover all public and internal roads at the Park regardless of weather conditions.

  High-precision maps are the key to the autonomy and safety of the self-driving vehicles. They work with the other sensors to offer high-precision positioning, augment sensing efficiency of vehicles, optimize navigation routes. "Baidu's autonomous driving brand owns a fleet of 500+ vehicles, logs a total of 18 million kilometers on the road, published 3,400 relevant patents, 700 of which are on high-precision maps and high-precision positioning," Baidu's senior patent counsel Jia Meng presented. To ensure safety of the self-driving vehicles at the winter Olympics and Paralympics, her company has done enormous amount of research to respond to the vast expanse of the Park, oft-occurring sudden traffic conditions, difficulty in map-making.

  The winter games will be held during the snowy season. Falling snow will block road lane markings, adding difficulty to position the lanes. Baidu tried to find solutions through construction of high-precision maps, high-precision positioning, identification of map elements, automatic extraction, and in the process, obtained a raft of patents, inter alia, on "lane positioning methods, equipment, electric equipment, vehicle and storage media" and "determination of lane markings, assessment methods, apparatus, equipment for positioning precision".

  These new technologies effectively avoid rise of errors, loss of precision caused by disruption from abnormal conditions, making sure autonomous vehicles can position accurately under heavy snow, fog and other extreme weather conditions.

  5G assists rise of intelligent connection

  Intelligent connection is the strategic direction of the development of autonomous vehicles. The commercialization of 5G lays an important basis for the Internet of Vehicles (IOV). China Unicom's Intelligent City Research Institute, along with Tsinghua University and Beijing Jiatong University undertook a project to develop an IOV for the winter games.

  Gathering latest technologies in 5G, big data, artificial intelligence, cloud computing, Internet of Things, the project aims to build an IOV on the compound of Shougang Park. As of now, 17 5G base stations, 14 roadside units, 1 Beidou earth-based repeater have been set up to cover the entire park premise of 1 million square meters.

  "Compared with the individual autonomous vehicles serving the Tokyo Olympics, our connected ones are in a better position," said Liu Qi, senior expert and professor from the Institute. Relying on two sets of networks, namely the main system of the IOV and 5G/cellular IOV (C-V2X), the researchers integrated the IOV and intelligence of individual vehicles tightly to accomplish 10 scenarios including self-parking of four types of autonomous shuttle buses, which may meet the readily accessible, rapid transit need of athletes within the Park under all weather conditions, realizing flexible dispatch and transport of people, vehicles and supplies.

  "We have included platform, network, positioning in our patent portfolio, filed over 30 patent applications including 'a method of data transmission and car-based terminal', 'a method and apparatus for selecting resource in V2X resource pool', 'a wireless positioning method and system', "Liu Qi added.

  As of now, the Institute is in intimate alliance with the Park for building a lab on developing a 5G+ smart compound. In addition, tasked by the winter games organizer, the Institute is testing unmanned vehicle delivery indoors at Olympic venues in Zhangjiakou, after which demos of such deliveries will ensue during a testing sports event in December.

  Beijing 2022 is a global sports gala, and a test of our technological development. On this stage with attention from everywhere, autonomous driving vehicles will be a glistening bonus scene, bringing nice surprises to the tech-laden winter games.(by Liu Hongyi)


 

  (Editor Tian Yihui)

  (All contents of this newspaper may not be reproduced or used without express permission)

主办单位:中国知识产权报社 未经许可不得复制
ICP备案编号:京ICP备08103642号-2