Bosch driving assist

Operation principle of the Bosch driving assist

The Bosch driving assist is a partially automated driving function for a speed range of up to 200 km/h (124 mph) on highways. The basic function combines and fuses the radar-based longitudinal guidance of adaptive cruise control (ACC) stop & go with the video-based lateral guidance of lane centering assist in one system.

The Bosch driving assist can be supplemented with an automatic lane change function in a speed range of 70 – 130 km/h (43 – 80 mph). This technology requires additional corner radar sensors to monitor the traffic to the rear and side of the vehicle. To indicate a desire to change lanes, the driver can simply use the turn signal. Then the system performs the maneuver as soon as it is safe to move into the adjacent lane. However, the driver retains full responsibility for the vehicle and must be able to take over control of the vehicle at any time.

Imagine a driving assist that allows drivers to take their hands off the wheel. We are currently developing such hands-free systems for the Asian and U.S. markets. At present, it is only there that such systems are legally permissible. When this additional feature of the Bosch driving assist is activated, the driver’s hands are allowed to be taken off the steering wheel when indicated by the system. However, the driver remains responsible for the driving task and thus also for monitoring the correct functioning of the system. A driver monitoring system is used to supervise the behavior of the driver’s eyes. If the driver appears to be distracted from his supervision task, warnings will be conducted and the function will be finally disengaged. The system includes a reliable and fast hands-on detection by using a capacitive steering wheel, which recognizes the hand when touching the wheel. This feature can be integrated into a system with and without an automatic lane change function.

With the Bosch driving pilot, Bosch is planning the next step towards automated driving. It complements the partially automated Bosch driving assistant and takes it to the next level of automation (Level 3). The driving pilot will automatically take over the longitudinal and lateral control of the vehicle, so drivers can actively use the infotainment system for a specific amount of time, for example. However, drivers must be able to take over vehicle control at any time.