6D-Vision Technology from Daimler
The human eye is an incredible tool, able to recognise 10-odd millions colours, perceive depth, focus and adjust to changing light conditions, all the while transmitting this information to the brain for processing.
The combination is absolutely vital to driving, obviously. So are they up to the task? According to some Germans, no, they aren’t.
In the anniversary year of the automobile, a team from Daimler is among the three teams of researchers nominated for the “Deutscher Zukunftspreis” prize for their 6D-vision technology, which apparently can make a vital contribution to the avoidance of accidents.
6D-Vision uses a stereo camera, acting in much the same way as the two eyes of a human, to compute the three-dimensional geometry of the situation in front of the vehicle in real time from the images it sees, using special algorithms developed by Daimler. An analysis of consecutive pairs of images allows instant and reliable identification of any movement in the vicinity. This allows for other road users to be recognised within split seconds and possible collision hazards reliably identified.
“Road safety for all road users has always been a major area of focus and a core competence at Mercedes-Benz,” says Prof Dr Thomas Weber, Member of the Board of Management Daimler AG, responsible for Group Research and Mercedes-Benz Cars Development.
“The 6D-Vision project represents a milestone along the road to accident-free driving and will form the basis of our future safety systems.”
The Daimler research team’s 6D-Vision project opens up whole new possibilities for future assistance systems that will make our roads safer for all road users.
By linking the perception of both space and time, it is possible to differentiate between stationary and animated
objects, even from a moving vehicle. Animated objects, for example children running unexpectedly into the road, are perceived within 200 milliseconds across a broad range of vision.
Even the most alert person takes twice as long to do so; and should he or she be distracted, a further 500 milliseconds may be added to this time. An additional moment of shock adds further delay while the situation is assessed and until a reaction kicks in.
In purely mathematical terms, one second at a speed of 50 km/h equates to a vehicle covering a distance of around 15 metres. The computer works twice as fast as the driver and initiates safety measures after just seven metres. In an emergency braking situation, the vehicle therefore comes to a standstill more than a whole vehicle length sooner.
Dr Uwe Franke: “The capability of 6D-Vision is such that we are able to support the driver in precisely the sort of situation where the complexity of traffic conditions increases the potential for an accident, for example at junctions or in roadworks.”
Now I’m not entirely sure I understand any of what the German doctor is on about – in fact I haven’t even got my head around 3D technology never mind whatever 6D means – but it all sounds mighty clever. Get your taste of the production outcome of 6D Vision in the next generation Mercedes-Benz S-Class, which will be launched sometime in 2013.
Miles Downard