Hitachi Automotive Systems will conduct a verification test drive of an autonomous driving system co-developed with Hitachi Group’s Clarion, on the Hitachinaka Road, a toll road in Hitachinaka City, Ibaraki Prefecture. This verification test drive will take place on an expressway in which information from the test vehicles’ 360° surroundings detection sensor fusion will be integrated with information on geographic features obtained from high-precision maps. Hitachi Automotive Systems’ exceptional sensor fusion sensing system allows seamless, omnidirectional detection around the test vehicle. In addition to a pair of stereo cameras in the front, it is made up of four single-lens Clarion SurroundEye cameras mounted to the front, rear, left, and right of the vehicle.
Four millimeter-wave radars are mounted on the front and rear ends of both sides. Information from omnidirectional sensing is fused with high-precision mapping information to obtain wide-area information. The information is then used by the electronic control unit to automatically integrate control of the engine, steering wheel, and brakes to achieve automated acceleration, steering, and braking. This is equivalent to Automated Driving Level 3 and will be verified on an expressway. This will allow the test vehicle to recognize and follow road lanes and other vehicles in its surroundings to automatically carry out single-lane driving and lane changes.
