Mercedes-Benz applies redundancy in Drive Pilot for safe conditionally automated driving

MANILA: Mercedes-Benz is establishing entirely new standards for automated driving by a safety-focused approach to system design. Drive Pilot is built on a system architecture that enables safe management of all possible scenarios. To achieve this, the power supply, steering, braking, and some sensor parts have been created with physical and functional redundancy.

Mercedes-Benz became the first carmaker in the world to get internationally valid system approval for conditionally automated driving (SAE Level 3). Since May 17, Germany has offered Drive Pilot as an option for Mercedes-Benz S-Class and Mercedes-Benz EQS.

The four primary elements of the redundant architecture are the braking system, steering, power supply, and some of the sensors.

The steering, power supply, some of the sensors, and the braking system are included in the redundant architecture's four main components. This covers handling and environment recognition. The system's battery, steering motor, wheel speed sensors, and algorithms for data calculation are also duplicated. Some components of the sensor system are also practically redundant since their different physical concepts, including optical, ultrasound, and radio waves, are correlating with one another, providing constant safety. Among its key components are radar, cameras, and  a LiDAR. Microphones, moisture sensors, and ultrasound devices also provide useful information. More than 30 sensors work together to guarantee that Drive Pilot can effectively handle the task of driving.

“The name Mercedes-Benz has always stood for safety and we are already setting standards in the development and implementation of automated driving systems like Drive Pilot. We are convinced that redundancy is the right approach for Level 3 automated driving and beyond. When it comes to sensors, we also see the use of LiDAR alongside radar and cameras as particularly indispensable. We can compensate for the situation-dependent deficits of one sensor with the characteristics of another. Relying on just one type of sensor would not meet Mercedes-Benz's high safety standards,” Mercedes-Benz Group AG Chief Technology Officer Markus Schafer stated.

Once Drive Pilot is enabled, the system regulates distance and speed while keeping the vehicle in its own lane. Customers may, under certain circumstances and on designated stretches of German autobahn, assign driving duties to the system while moving at up to 59kph through congested traffic. In case of a failure in one of the core systems, the Drive Pilot system architecture can detect the situation and enable a safe handover of control to the driver. Drive Pilot begins a safe emergency stop maneuver that poses no risk to traffic behind even if the driver fails to comply with a handover prompt.

Photo from Mercedes-Benz

Also read: Mercedes-Benz begins production of all-electric EQS SUV in Alabama