While some developers of autonomous trucking technology have stalled out, there’s renewed energy to deliver augmented ADAS and automated driving systems to mass production.

After a tumultuous 2023 that saw several autonomous trucking startups pivot out of or exit the arena entirely, there has been a recent resurgence of investment and efforts to bring the vision of driverless freight fleets to reality.

In the wake of firms like Embark, TuSimple and Waymo scaling back or rolling up operations, Aurora, Continental and Knorr-Bremse have all announced continued development of SAE Level 4 systems with the intention to deploy trucks using these systems at scale. OEMs such as Volvo have also announced updates to existing technologies that will augment current advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) to help human drivers become safer behind the wheel.

While it remains to be seen whether any of these systems will finally commercialize the concept, the continual march of technological development is making progress towards that goal.

Reinforcement of redundancies

In September 2024, Knorr-Bremse announced that it intended to “press ahead” with development of its automated driving system for trucks. The company will reportedly provide advanced redundancy architectures for braking, steering and energy management systems. Knorr-Bremse also stated that it is focusing on redundant actuator technology for SAE Level 4 systems.

“Knorr-Bremse is systematically bringing its redundancy solutions for trucks to market maturity,” said Bernd Spies, member of the executive board of Knorr-Bremse AG. “With our extensive experience, we have the in-depth knowledge and skills required to create multiply redundant systems for braking, steering and power supply systems, and so enable our customers to achieve SAE Level 4 automation.”

Spies continued, “We’re already able to deliver high levels of safety and system availability for trucks operating at automation levels 2 through 4. We’re looking to contact our customers at the earliest possible stage to discuss possible use cases and how we can best customize our redundancy concepts for them.

“A good example – with real-world applicability – is our involvement in the ATLAS-L4 joint development project. Here, we’re contributing the redundant braking system architecture, which includes steering redundancy based on steer-by-brake technology. We also developed the accompanying safety concept, and the prototype truck is already undergoing successful test track trials.”

In Knorr-Bremse’s view, increasing automation requires additional system redundancy, which is logical considering the implementation of these technologies will shift most operator responsibilities from human to machine. It is the firm’s belief that for automated driving to be successful, vehicles must demonstrate high levels of reliability and availability, which requires robust fail-safes. The company has developed, and is preparing for market launch, several products to accomplish this goal.

Knorr-Bremse’s redundant Global Scalable Brake Control system (rGSBC) has a modular design that combines several different components used in conventional brake control systems into a single brake control platform. The simplified system layouts reportedly save on components, weight and installation costs. This approach also prioritizes the reuse of existing components and limits the number of modified or new system modules.

The company is also developing a redundant version of its electric power steering system. The new rEPS will offer fail-safe steering functionality where both the electric motor and electronic control system (hardware and software) are designed with built-in redundancy. The rEPS will be combined with steer-by-brake functionality that introduces another level of redundancy. According to Knorr-Bremse, this combination will enable self-driving vehicles to autonomously complete their missions even in the event of critical failures.

Another system under development is a redundant Power Management System (rPMS). Knorr-Bremse states that “as the number of onboard electrical systems grows, trucks need more energy, as well as an onboard electrical system architecture that meets the latest safety requirements.” The rPMS will reportedly ensure that sufficient power is supplied to safety-critical systems as well as the sensors required for automated driving. Two independent power supply circuits operating in fail-safe mode guarantee system performance and safety levels are maintained.

A Truck Motion Controller (TMC) will further optimize longitudinal and lateral driving dynamics by combining all the actuators actively involved in vehicle dynamics (braking, steering and drive units) so that they are all managed at the same execution level. The controller operates by translating general driving commands into commands for the individual actuators, thereby simplifying the interface with the virtual driver. Aware of vehicle-specific characteristics and limits, the system will ensure that the vehicle stays under control even in critical driving situations. The TMC can also detect and manage possible actuator faults or failures and offset them by combining other actuators.

In addition to SAE Level 4 technologies, Knorr-Bremse is also developing ADAS to assist human pilots such as its Fusion Front system, which uses a combination of front camera and radar to detect complex traffic conditions and relevant objects. Additional functions include the Pedestrian Advanced Emergency Braking system, lane keeping assist and automatic emergency braking.

Source：SAE

Published by：AMTS Content Marketing Team