Automated Driving

A self-driving car equipped with multiple sensors stands in front of a pedestrian crosswalk in a city.

Editorial

The invention of the automobile revolutionized people’s lives. Now we are on the threshold of the next big technological leap: automated and autonomous driving. Thanks to intelligent software and powerful hardware, vehicles of the future will be able to take passengers safely and comfortably to their destinations without any driver intervention. The car of tomorrow will become a mobile living and working space. For this to become reality, three key requirements must be met: The car must capture all of its surroundings (“sense”), process this information and plan a driving strategy (“think”), and then implement it reliably and safely (“act”). Because safety is what Bosch is all about. As an innovation leader, we laid the foundation for all automation levels early on by developing driver assistance systems and the associated environment sensor technology. Explore the technologies that enable automated driving and that are already in widespread use today on our topic page. These include a multi-purpose camera that can detect objects in road traffic even more reliably thanks to artificial intelligence (AI). Or do away with the frustrating hunt for a parking space with a little help from us. We designed the world’s first driverless parking function, Automated Valet Parking, which meets SAE level 4 and guides the car through narrow parking garages without driver intervention.

#1 Sense

— how cars learn to see

A car equipped with various sensors navigates a test track for autonomous driving.

Smart sensors bridge the gap between the physical and virtual world. Thanks to a wide range of different sensors and networked services, Bosch enables automated vehicles to perceive their surroundings as fully as if they had eyes and other sensory organs. These sensors build on Bosch’s know-how cultivated over decades of development and manufacturing. Many intelligent sensors that are already at a mass production level of maturity are paving the way for the new era of mobility. After all, safe automated driving depends on reliable, sufficient information.

Stories about “Sense”

We no longer need lane markings to keep self-driving cars safely on the road.
Andreas Schulz, Project Director Chassis Systems Control

#2 Think

— how smart software and hardware create the brain of the vehicle

A man sits in the driver’s seat of a test vehicle for autonomous driving. He keeps his hands close to the steering wheel without touching it. The cockpit contains several screens that display the environment as perceived by the various sensors.

The brain of the vehicle relies on high-performance vehicle computers that run intelligent software on powerful hardware. The vehicle must calculate the best driving strategy in real time from a vast host of data captured by the environment sensors and networked services such as digital high-resolution maps, while at the same time making reliable predictions for anticipatory driving. To meet this challenge, Bosch is bringing together its combined software and electronics expertise and is cooperating with strong partners. Together with Volkswagen subsidiary CARIAD, Bosch is working on hands-free systems that allow drivers to explicitly take their hands off the steering wheel in certain situations. In the future, they will be used in all privately used vehicle classes of the Volkswagen Group brands — that’s a substantial share of the world’s vehicles.

Bosch is further expanding its competencies by adding fresh know-how. This results, among other things, from the acquisition of Five, Europe’s leading start-up for automated driving. Using the Five platform, Bosch can analyze real-world data from a fleet of test vehicles, create a wide variety of test scenarios, and build a simulation environment that enables lightning-fast evaluation and validation of system behavior.
Given that high-resolution digital maps have become an absolute must in terms of having an additional sensor to ensure that automated driving is safe and easy, Bosch is positioning itself even more broadly for its customers with the acquisition of Atlatec — one of the world’s most innovative manufacturers of high-resolution 3D maps for automated driving functions at SAE levels 3 and 4.

3 billion euros

is the amount Bosch invests annually in automotive software expertise

Stories about “Think”

#3 Act

— how precision hardware reliably implements the calculated course

A self-driving car equipped with various sensors travels on a road. It activates the left blinker to initiate the lane change on its own.

The drive, brakes, and steering system are the muscles of the self-driving vehicle. In much the same way as the brain controls muscles via the nervous system, the vehicle computer sends signals to the various parts of the vehicle via cables to have them execute the driving strategy with precision. The vehicle knows where it is at any moment and is fully aware of its surroundings. This allows it, for example, to initiate lane changes on its own. Redundant systems are one of the keys to guaranteeing the highest degree of safety and are also of tremendous importance in implementing the “sense” and “think” capabilities. In the event of a fault in the electronics, for instance, a second, independent circuit immediately takes over. The development and manufacture of such hardware is one of Bosch’s core competencies, and it is already being mass produced for use on the road today.

State-of-the-art steering

Steering technology of the future: Steer-by-Wire

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Whether in comfort or sports mode, Steer-by-Wire enables highly precise driving maneuvers with maximum control.

How Steer-by-Wire works

The steering technology of the future no longer relies on a mechanical connection between the steering wheel and the wheels. In Steer-by-Wire, this is replaced with a cable connection. The steering wheel actuator uses precise sensor technology to determine the driver’s intention and transmits it digitally to the rack and pinion actuator — for maximum ease and safety. The system is made possible by sophisticated steering system technology and a redundant on-board data and voltage supply.
With Steer-by-Wire, the front end and chassis can be standardized, thus making a significant contribution to reducing complexity and costs. The system also enables a wide range of technical features that were not possible with previous, conventional steering systems — in particular when it comes to automated steering.

An graphic shows how a car automatically avoids an obstacle.

Three times as clever — questions about automated driving

Sense, think, act — these three facets form the basis of automated and autonomous driving. Some of Bosch’s solutions are already on the market, meaning they are already improving real traffic on the road. Put your knowledge to the test about the technologies that will shape the future of road mobility.

A man sits in the driver’s seat of a test vehicle for autonomous driving, his hands in his lap. He is driving on a three-lane road. The cockpit contains several screens that display the environment as perceived by the various sensors.

How safe are self-driving vehicles?

A car drives through a rendered, bright environment. It is surrounded by various symbols that represent hardware and software security solutions in the car.

Answer

In the case of automated driving at SAE levels 3, 4, and 5, drivers no longer need to monitor the system. Here, driving safety must be ensured by the system alone, and the driver is no longer responsible for the actual driving. The risk of failure of the system or individual components can be reduced to a minimum — but it cannot be eliminated completely. To make the system resilient against failures, safety-critical subsystems such as steering, brakes, on-board power, and data processing must be designed redundantly and controlled independently of one another. If a subsystem fails, the corresponding redundant system is always ready to take over and safely bring the vehicle to a standstill in a critical situation, for example.

A man sits in a networked car and operates his on-board computer.

How are connected vehicles protected from hacking?

A car drives in front of a bright, digital background. A data packet depicted as a cube with a shield icon lowers onto the car from above and connects with it.

Answer

In the event of a cyberattack on an automated vehicle, Bosch protects the vehicle systems from unauthorized access and manipulation using a multi-layered IT security concept. Microcontrollers and control units, in-vehicle communication, the on-board network architecture, as well as interfaces to the internet and the cloud, are safeguarded through dedicated measures. Even if attackers manage to overcome individual security mechanisms, this does not provide them with access to the entire system and its security-critical components. For added security, regularly updated attack detection software ensures that the automated vehicle remains protected at all times, even against new threats.

A Mercedes-Benz S-Class autonomously navigates a tight corner in parking garage P6. Bosch cameras can be seen on the ceiling of the park deck.

Are self-driving vehicles already allowed on the road?

A car drives in a rendered, bright environment.

Answer

Germany passed pioneering legislation on this, becoming the first country ever to permit selected automated driving functions at SAE level 4 on public roads. In order to be able to register such vehicles in Germany, a corresponding ordinance that defines the technical details — the so-called AFGBV (Autonomous Vehicles Approval and Operation Ordinance) — had been the missing link until recently. The ordinance was published by the Bundesrat on June 30, 2022, meaning it is now in force. In turn, this means that vehicles meeting the requirements can be approved and operated in Germany, including dual-mode vehicles – in other words, conventional vehicles (with shuttles being a particular example) that have automated driving functions, such as automated valet parking, which can be enabled temporarily.

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