GNSS is just one component of autonomous driving systems, along with other sensors like inertial navigation systems (INS), odometers, radar, cameras, gyroscopes and others. However it is a critical component providing much needed redundancy, according to participants in the Munich Satellite Navigation Conference on March 6.

There is a clear demand for autonomous navigation capability in cars, shipping and in UAVs, with GNSS playing different roles in each of these segments. In autonomous cars, the role of GPS-only solutions was relatively minor so far - mainly route finding – due to the challenging conditions in an urban environment. This may be set to change as robust GNSS signals and services provide increased accuracy, supplying autonomous systems with the necessary reliability.

Speaking at a Munich Summit session on the GNSS needs of autonomous cars and cyber-physical systems, Gian Gherardo Calini, Head of Market Development at the European GNSS Agency (GSA), highlighted Galileo’s critical contribution to autonomous systems. Calini stressed that autonomous applications need accuracy, adding: “Galileo’s double-frequency capability addresses these fundamental needs. This is what will ensure Galileo’s success in autonomous driving.”

GNSS - a key part of the puzzle

Illustrating some of the benefits offered by double-frequency, such as centimetre-level accuracy, better multipath mitigation, and protection against spoofing, Calini presented the final results of INDRIVE project, which uses innovative but close-to-market GNSS-based solutions for semi-automatic driving, and the ongoing ESCAPE project, funded under the European GNSS Agency’s (GSA) Fundamental Elements programme. With respect to the needed homologation and certification process, he also made reference to the lessons learnt from the eCall system, which is aimed at speeding up emergency response services in the event of a road accident, and in which Galileo and EGNOS play a key role.

Read this: ESCAPE completes preliminary design of positioning engine

The benefits of high accuracy GNSS-based positioning in autonomous navigation were also highlighted by Roman Lesjak, a Senior Researcher at the DIGITAL Institute for Information and Communications Technologies in Graz, who noted that GNSS is very good for dynamic state estimation and can contribute to cooperative driving. “GNSS should be an important part of the puzzle, providing increased redundancy,” he said.

Dr Martin Metzner from the Institute of Engineering Geodesy in Stuttgart agreed, noting that, along with digital maps, GNSS is a key component of automated driving, making it possible to correct the measuring errors of positioning sensors.

This was echoed at a later session on the future of precise point positioning for autonomous systems, where Doug Brent, Vice President for Innovation and Technology at US receiver manufacturer Trimble, noted that the availability, integrity and accuracy of GNSS corrections are essential for autonomous driving, but that fusing data from many sensors would always be necessary.

Leveraging Galileo’s past and future

At the opening session of the Munich Summit on the previous day, Matthias Petschke, Director of EU Satellite Navigation Programmes at the European Commission outlined some of the groundwork being carried out by the European Commission in preparation for autonomous driving. Petschke noted that the Commission is currently preparing a set of legislative proposals and guidelines on connected and automated mobility, which will tackle issues from connectivity data management and cyber security, to infrastructure, road safety and liability.

“Our work on autonomous driving leverages on Galileo’s past and future accomplishments,” he said.

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