Ford Fusion Hybrid the Unmanned vehicle with the hybrid drive

2017

Ford will release "UAV" for ridesharing in 4 years

On September 21, 2017 Ford Motor Company announced plans for inclusion in a line of the electrified models the autonomous car with the hybrid drive for use as the taxi (ridesharing) or in services of car-sharing. The release of such model is planned for 2021.

Production in Flet Roque

According to the statement of the company, within the next 4 years of Ford invests $700 million in production of autonomous and electric cars on the production site in Flet Roque (highway Michigan). There the Center of production innovations which, by estimates of the company, will create 700 additional jobs will be created. In Flet Roque production of completely autonomous car for ridesharing and car-sharing will be performed.

In 2021 Ford will release completely autonomous "hybrid" of the 4th level intended for services of ridesharing and car-sharing

Testing of UAVs

Ford already tests on public roads autonomous cars of the 4th level according to classification of SAE. The fourth level of autonomy means high extent of automation — the independent movement is possible in the majority of road conditions without intervention of the person, the driver becomes a passenger. Widespread introduction of technology of off-line control will take place by 2025.

In the autonomous Ford cars the LiDAR sensors defining provision of "UAV" on the road with an accuracy of centimeter are used. LiDAR emits the short laser impulses allowing the car to generate in real time the accurate map of the area of high definition in 3D - a format. LiDAR will recognize the next objects and uses collected information for determination of an optimal way of the movement of the car.

Movement on snow and in the dark

That autonomous the car could move on snow-covered roads, "UAVs" also equipped with 3D maps of high resolution where information on the road and on what is over its surface, including a road marking, signs, geography, reference points and topography is provided. Ford already carried out tests of autonomous cars in the conditions of winter weather. Sharing of LiDAR-sensors and 3D maps of high resolution also allows the autonomous Ford cars to move in complete darkness.

Distinguish pedestrians in the dark

Ford provided in the spring of 2017 the technology allowing to distinguish pedestrians at night and to automatically perform braking if the driver does not react to the first warnings.

According to survey conducted by Ford company, 81% of the European male drivers are recognized that they have sensation of fear on roads at night, and among female drivers this digit reaches 87%. More than a half of respondents claim that they are nervous because badly see the road and a surrounding situation, and more than a third worry that they can get into accident. The fear to bring down the pedestrian is felt by every fifth respondent in Europe the driver. However the Russian drivers, unlike the European, feel safe and is sure when drive the car in the dark – 78% of respondents said that they are not afraid to drive in night-time. Among those who after all feel fear more than a half are nervous because badly see the road because of what it is difficult for them to control process. 43.5% of the polled drivers in Russia most of all are afraid to bring down the pedestrian in the dark.

Statistics of the road accidents says that the Russian drivers in vain revaluate themselves: according to data of traffic police, in 2016 in Russia there were 60430 road accidents in night-time; in them 9803 person died, and the number of victims was 75682 persons. Such accidents claimed the lives of a bigger number of people, than the road accidents which happened because of a state of disrepair of a paving (7,845 dead for 2016). In 2014 in Europe every fifth accident happened to death because of pedestrians, more than a half from whom came at night.

The technology of detection of pedestrians processes information arriving from the radar located on a bumper and from the camera on a windshield. The database of "images of pedestrians" allows a system to distinguish people from such objects as trees and road signs. The camera takes more than 30 pictures per second – it works quicker, than a film projector. A video flow in real time and also wide angle of the overview of the camera allow a system to identify passersby even in the conditions of bad illumination at night, for example, in the light of automobile headlights.

If a system understands that collision with the pedestrian is inevitable, at first it issues to the driver sound and visual warning. If the driver does not react in any way, a system automatically performs braking.

to call

especially exhausting – pedestrians who look only at screens of the smartphones, can unexpectedly come to the road, thereby creating an emergency situation even then when driving there is very vigilant driver, – Gregor Allexi, security regulation engineer of Ford of Europe company told. – The system of detection of pedestrians is developed in order that and day and night to identify people on the road ahead of the car".

During creation of an advanced sensing technology of pedestrians (Pedestrian Detection) the development team placed full-size dummies on obstructed paths at night; a system was also tested on public roads in the loaded cities, including Paris and Amsterdam.

With arrival on the market of autonomous cars overnight journeys, of course, will become easier. In 2016 the Ford Fusion Hybrid autonomous car was tested in utter darkness with the switched-off headlights on the test platform Ford in Arizona. This testing became one more step to implementation of the plan of Ford for development of completely autonomous cars available to clients worldwide.

Robotics