Autopilot Mode Technology in Vehicles

CHAPTER:-1
INTRODUCTION

This Auto pilot mode Technology is a research project. By implementing this technology
in vehicles enables it to self-drive in the highway roads without the control of the humans. This
technology creates a new revolution in the Automobile and transport field. It helps the user to
save their valuable time which is wasted while driving and it is not necessary for the drivers to be
always seated in the driver seat except the places, where the signals and road counters present.
Many accidents are occurred due to the carelessness of the drivers. This can be avoided by
implementing this Autopilot mode technology. In this technology many advanced equipment‟s
are going to be used to make a safe journey. This Autopilot mode technology is going to be
created by the combination of various departments in Engineering. But among these departments
of Engineering four departments are going to play a major role.

They are Mechanical, Electronics, Information Technology and Computer science

departments. Mechanical department is going to take care of all the mechanical movements of
the vehicle. Electronics department take care of the fetching of programs made by the
programmers in the controlling unit and for its proper functioning. Information technology and
computer science departments are going to be the back bone of this technology. Programs made
by the programmers are going to be responsible for the working conditions of the control unit.[1]

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CHAPTER:-2
COMPONENTS OF AUTOPILOT MODE TECHNOLOGY IN
VEHICLES
This technology contains five major components. They are,

2.1: RADARS
Radar is an object detection system that uses electromagnetic waves to identify the range,
altitude, direction, or speed of both moving and fixed objects such as aircraft, ships, motor
vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The term RADAR is defined as radio detection and
ranging. A radar system has a transmitter that emits radio waves. When they come into contact
with an object they are scattered in all directions. The signal is thus partly reflected back and it
has a slight change of wavelength (and thus frequency) if the target is moving. The optimal range
can be fixed as 50m.The receiver is usually, in the same location as the transmitter. Although the
signal returned is usually very weak, the signal can be amplified through use of electronic
techniques in the receiver and in the antenna configuration. This enables radar to detect objects at
ranges where other emissions from the target object, such as sound or visible light, would be too
weak to detect.

Fig. 2.1: RADAR Electromagnetic Waves

From the above picture it has been observed that the radar signals are transmitted and readings of
the detected object is received by the reflected signals from it in front of the car. By the radar
readings the control unit automatically accelerates and de-accelerates the car. In case object in
front of the car moving slowly means then the control unit will go for the “overtaking” mode.

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Fig. 2.2: Overtaking

Before overtaking it is necessary to analyses what might go wrong while overtaking. This mode
will find the possible direction and space to overtake the object in the front to move ahead. How
this process works means; at first the signal from the front radar is obtained that, object is present
in the front of the car. Now the radar will analyze whether it is possible to overtake. If it is
possible means the vehicle will try to overtake.

Fig. 2.3: Before Overtaking

There is a possibility for the vehicle to hit the object while steering left during overtakes.
A constant signal of 90 degree is obtained from the front radar detecting that an object is present
in left.

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Fig. 2.4: Steering Left During Overtakes

After the front radar crossed the vehicle, readings will start to come from the rear radar.
This will indicate that the object is still present and now cannot steer left. A constant reading will
be taken from the rear radar as 90 degree. This will not change until the rear radar crosses the
object.

When the back radar crossed the object the angle 90 degree will start to increase. This
detects that the car had crossed the object. A particular degree is denoted in the program, when
the vehicle has to steer. 110 degree is enough to steer the vehicle safely.

Fig. 2.5: Front Radar Crossed the Vehicle

Thus the overtake mode is achieved successfully. This is how the process is ging to work.
Radars cannot detect the road condition as it is kept at the bumper of the car. So, separate sensors
are kept near the wheel to detect the road conditions. [1]

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Fig. 2.6: Overtake Mode Is Achieved

2.2: SENSORS:
A sensor is a device that measures a physical quantity and converts it into a signal which
can be read by an observer or by an instrument. Here sensors are kept near the front wheel there
by focusing the road as shown at an angle of 160 degree.

The sensor will always focus the road like a stick from the car. A constant reading will be
provided from the sensor to the control unit. When the angle changes due to any speed breaker or
road damage, the sensor will automatically makes the control unit to slow down the car. If the
value crosses the critical value the car will be stopped immediately because, there may be any
huge damage. [2]

2.3: GPS [Global Positioning System]:

The Global Positioning System (GPS) is space based global navigation satellite system
(GNSS) that provides location and time information in all weather, anywhere on or near the
Earth, where there is an unobstructed line of sight to four or more GPS satellites. GPS receiver
calculates its position by precisely timing the signals sent by GPS satellite high
above the Earth. Each satellite continually transmits messages that include• the time the message
was transmitted• precise orbital information (the ephemeris) the general system health and rough
orbits of all GPS satellites (the almanac). The receiver uses the messages it receives to determine
the transit time of each message and computes the distance to each satellite. These distances

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along with the satellites' locations are used with the possible aid of trilateration, depending on
which algorithm is used, to compute the position of the receiver. This position is then displayed,
perhaps with a moving map display or latitude and longitude; elevation information may be
included. Many GPS units show derived information such as direction and speed,
calculated from position changes. Three satellites might seem enough to solve for
position since space has three dimensions and a position near the Earth's surface can be assumed.
However, even a very small clock error multiplied by the very large speed of light — the speed
at which satellite signals propagate — results in a large positional error. Therefore receivers use
four or more satellites to solve for the receiver‟s location and time. The very accurately
computed time is effectively hidden by most GPS applications, which use only the location. A
few specialized GPS applications do however use the time; these include time
transfer, traffic signal timing, and synchronization of cell phone base stations.
Although four satellites are required for normal operation, fewer apply in special
cases. If one variable is already known, a receiver can determine its position using only
three satellites. For example, a ship or aircraft may have known elevation. [1]

Fig. 2.7: GPS [Global Positioning System]

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2.4: POSITION SENSOR:

A position sensor is any device that permits position measurement Here
we use a rotary encoder also called a shaft encoder, is an electro-mechanical device
that converts the angular position or motion of a shaft or axle to an analog or digital
code. The output of i n c r e m e n t a l encoders provides information about the motion
of the shaft which is typically further processed elsewhere into information such as
speed, distance, RPM and position. The output of absolute encoders indicates the
current position of the shaft, making them angle transducers. Rotary encoders are used in
many applications that require precise shaft unlimited rotation—including industrial
controls, robotics, special purpose photographic lenses, computer input devices
(such as optomechanical mice and trackballs), and rotating radar platforms. [1]

Fig. 2.8: Position Sensor

2.5: CAMERAS:
G o o g l e h a s u s e d t h r e e t yp e s o f c a r - m o u n t e d c a m e r a s i n t h e p a s t t o t a k e
street view photographs. Generation 1-3 were used to take photographs in
U n i t e d S t a t e s . T h e f i r s t generation was quickly superseded and images were replaced
with images taken with 2nd and 3rdgeneration cameras. Second generation cameras were
used to take photographs in Australia. The shadows caused by the 1 st , 2 nd and 4 th

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generation cameras are occasionally viewable in images taken in mornings and

evenings. The new 4th generation cameras will be used to completely replace all images taken
with earlier generation cameras. 4th generation cameras take near-HD images and deliver much
better quality than earlier cameras. [1]

Fig. 2.9: Cameras

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CHAPTER:-3
WORKING PRINCIPLE OF AUTOPILOT MODE
TECHNOLOGY IN VEHICLES

Fig, 3.1: Block Diagram of Autopilot Mode Technology in Vehicles

This technology depends up on the components which are represented above. First the
compact map path to the place where the user wants to go is selected on the GPS maps in the
display unit. When the user starts the engine all the equipment‟s will take positioning. The
readings are obtained from the radar every second. It detects the objects at the limit of 180‟ angle
and continuously feed the control unit there by moving the vehicle in safe and proper directions.
Control unit is built with a lot of conditions that makes the vehicle to move in the possible safe
directions according to the readings from the radar, sensor and GPS maps.
Here 50% of the job is done by the radar equipment‟s and rest of the job is done by the
advanced GPS mapping to make a safe journey. Separate signals are obtained from the sensors
which are kept at the bottom of the car straight to the wheel to detect the speed breakers and road
damages which help the vehicle to de-accelerate in the speed breaker and damaged road areas.
Advanced GPS mapping technology makes the car to remain in the Indian rule of “keep left”. It
synchronizes the vehicle and the road. This only helps the vehicle to turn properly during the
curves. Same set of the equipment‟s is fixed on the rear side of the vehicle to avoid other
vehicles to hit the user‟s vehicle during de-acceleration, curves and overtaking.[3]

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CHAPTER:-4
APPLICATIONS OF AUTOPILOT MODE TECHNOLOGY IN
VEHICLES
1: Intelligent transporting
Intelligent transport systems vary in technologies applied, from basic management
systems such as car navigation, traffic signal control system, container management system
variable message signs, automatic number plate recognition or speed cameras to monitor
applications, such as security CCTV systems; and to more advanced applications that integrate
live data and feedback from number of other sources, such as parking guidance and information
systems, weather information, bridge deicing systems, and the like.

Additionally, predictive techniques are being developed modeling and comparison with
historical baseline data this technology will be a revolutionary step in intelligent transportation.

2: Military applications
Automated navigation system with real time decision making capability of the system
makes it more applicable in war fields and other military applications

3: Transportation in the hazardous places

The complete real time decision making capability and sensor guided navigation will
leads to replace the human drivers in hazardous place transportation

4: Shipping
Autonomous vehicles will have a huge impact on the land shipping industry.
One way to transport goods on land is by freight trucks. There are thousands of freight trucks
on the road everyday driving for multiple days to reach their destination. All of these
trucks are driven by a paid employee of a trucking company. If the trucks were able to drive
on their own, a person to move the v e h i c l e f r o m o n e p o i n t t o a n o t h e r i s n o l o n g e r
n e e d e d . T h e t r u c k i s a l s o a b l e t o d r i v e t o t h e i r destination without having to stop
to sleep, eat, or anything besides more fuel. All that is necessary i s s o m e o n e t o l o a d t h e

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vehicle and someone to unload the vehicle. This would save trucking
companies a very large amount of money, but it would also put thousands of people
out of jobs. These people would have to find and learn a new profession as driving a freight
truck is a full time job with little time spent at home to learn how to do another
profession. This is potentially life ruining for many employees in this industry.

5: Taxi Services
Another business that would be strongl y affected is taxi services. It
i s b a s e d s o l e l y o n driving someone around who does not have a car or does not
want to drive. Then an employee is dispatched to go and pick up the person and
bring them to their destination. This type of service could lower the number of
vehicles on the road because not everyone would have to own a car, people could call
to request an autonomous car to bring them around. Taxis also drive around cities a n d w a i t i n
busy areas for people to request a cab. A taxi service comprised
c o m p l e t e l y o f autonomous vehicles could be started. A person can call in and request to be
picked up and then be brought to their destination for a fee. There could be autonomous taxis
waiting in designated areas for people to come and use them. Many taxi drivers need the job
because they are unable to perform other jobs for various reasons. The need for a human in the
service goes away almost completely. This is another example of a large amount of
people being removed from their jobs because of autonomous vehicles being able to
perform the task without the need of an extra person.

6: Public Transportation
Various forms of public transportation are controlled by a human operator. Whether it
is on a bus, in a train, subway, streetcar, or shuttle, there is a person sitting in the driver‟s seat
and they are controlling what the vehicle is doing. For trains and other rail-based transportation,
it is a simpler process more involved with accelerating and decelerating the train
from and into stops with no concern over keeping in a lane. However, on a bus or shuttle, a
person must follow rules, watch the actions of other drivers and pedestrians, keep the bus in lane,
and make sure they stop at every bus station. These are many tasks that one person must be able
to handle and react to and control at the same time. In the early stages of implementation,

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it would most likely keep the driver behind the wheel as a safeguard in case there is a
problem with the system. The driver would also be needed in the beginning in order for
the general public to trust it at first. As the life of the autonomous vehicle systems progresses,
bus drivers would no longer be needed as the system would be able to perform all of the required
tasks. It is a simple job of following a specific route and stopping at designated points. The
problems would arise from actions of other vehicles in the area. The most ideal situation is when
the autonomous vehicle systems have matured to the point that nearly every vehicle on the road
is autonomously driven. This would allow for information exchange between vehicles so they
can know the planned moves and choices that another vehicle in the environment will make. In
the end, drivers will no longer be needed to run the bus transit system. This would bring about a
large savings for the transit companies that employ all of the bus drivers.[4]

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CHAPTER:-5
ADVANTAGES AUTOPILOT MODE TECHNOLOGY IN
VEHICLES
1: Safety
Safety issues have the most serious impact on daily life out of all
t h e t r a n s p o r t a t i o n problems. Traffic accidents have colossal negative effects on economy.
Traveling by car is currently the most deadly form of transportation, with over a million
deaths annually worldwide. For this reason, the majority of the research projects in the
transportation sector concentrate on developing safety systems. Implementation of autonomous
vehicles can greatly reduce the number of crashes, since 90 percent of the traffic accidents are
caused by human error. Intelligent safety systems that are currently in use have already proven
their success in helping drivers avoid accidents. According to EUROSTAT data, the number
of road fatalities in the EU has been reduced from 56,027 to28,849 people per year
between the years of 1991 and 2010.5 This data indicates a reduction of about 30
percent, which reflects the better safety performance of recent vehicles when compared
to previous vehicle generations.

2: Impacts on Traffic
With the introduction of a fully autonomous vehicle, traffic flow would drastically
change. Traffic is currently a nuisance to drivers all over the world. In the early stages of
implementation to the highway system there would be a combination of autonomously
driven vehicles and human controlled vehicles. This could cause some confusion
and problems concerning the reaction of motorists to the driverless vehicles and how well
the autonomous vehicles can integrate into traffic flow. The autonomous vehicles would be
following all traffic laws while human drivers have the choice to break the law. As time
progresses and the autonomous car becomes a more commonly used vehicle on the
road, traffic would become far less congested. Cars would be able to seamlessly merge into
moving traffic and then exit the highway just as easily. With the reduction of
traffic, t h e r e i s a c h a n c e t h a t t h e r e c o u l d b e e c o n o m i c i m p r o v e m e n t s .
V e h i c l e s c o u l d b e d e s i g n e d t o optimize fuel usage at common speeds used on the road.

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The speed limit could be increased because there is no longer any concern with human
error, and the vehicle would know how to control its situation on the road. Also, with
less stop and go traffic, average fuel economy would be improved. Vehicles are also following
each other consistently which would help with fuel usage as well.

3: Fuel economy
Autonomous vehicles will eliminate ineffective speeding up and braking,
operating at an o p t i m u m p e r f o r m a n c e l e v e l i n o r d e r t o a c h i e v e b e s t p o s s i b l e
f u e l e f f i c i e n c y. E v e n i f t h e f u e l efficiency achieved by the autonomous vehicles were
1 percent better, this would result in billions of dollars of savings in the US alone. It is possible
to obtain superior fuel efficiency as a result of t h e i m p l e m e n t a t i o n o f a u t o n o m o u s
s a f e t y s ys t e m s . T o t a l s a v i n g s t h a t c a n b e a c h i e v e d b y t h e increased fuel
efficiency can be calculated by making some assumptions such as, 10% as a result of more
efficient driving• 5% as a result of cars being 300 pounds lighter on average• 10% as a result
of more efficient traffic flow According to the assumptions made above, the implementation
autonomous vehicles will result into fuel savings of 25 percent, which is rough estimate.

4: Time Costs
The phrase „time is money‟ is true for most situations in modern life and the monetary
value of time is increasing every day. Using automated cars could save considerable amount of
time in a person‟s life, especially if the person resides in a busy city. Even if the
time savings were not considered as having monetary value, having more time
for leisure activities would raise our life s t a n d a r d s . L o w e r i n g t h e a m o u n t o f
t i m e l o s t w i l l a l s o e n a b l e p e o p l e t o b e o n t i m e a n d m o r e dynamic, resulting in a
significant improvement in work efficiency. One of the biggest advantages of this technology
will be the elimination of traffic problems in cities, which are at the top of the most
frustrating problems list for most people. By enabling a smoother traffic flow, the new system
will be saving a lot of time which can be used for work or leisure.[5]

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CHAPTER:-6
DISADVANTAGES OF AUTOPILOT MODE TECHNOLOGY IN
VEHICLES

1. If the vehicle is in a residential area without a drawn center divider between the lanes, the
system will not be able to exceed the posted speed limit by more than five miles per hour.
The car can also decide to drive slower, if certain conditions demand it. Tesla
recommends the Autopilot for highway use, but users have shown it can operate on
country roads. This is one of the limitations of the Autopilot feature at the moment.
2. Human behavior such as hand signals are difficult for a computer to understand.
3. Reading human road signs is challenging for a robot.
4. There are problems currently with autonomous vehicles operating in certain types of
weather. Heavy rain interferes with roof-mounted laser sensors, and snow can interfere
with its cameras.
5. Truck drivers and taxi drivers will lose their jobs, as autonomous vehicles take over.[5]

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CHAPTER:-7
IMPLIMENTATION OF AUTOPILOT MODE TECHNOLOGY
IN VEHICLES

Fig. 7.1: Tesla Model S P85D 2015

7.1: How it works?
The Tesla Model S features 12 long-range ultrasonic sensors, arranged to “sense”
everything around the vehicle on a range of 16 feet (4.8 meters) in any direction and at any
speed. The model also comes with a forward radar, a front camera, high-precision GPS, and a
system that combines the data from all of the mentioned devices to form a virtual image of the
road ahead. Since the vehicle has a fully digital instrument cluster, the latter displays what the
car “sees” in real time.

Thanks to the self-learning feature, every Tesla with the Autopilot system tells the
carmaker in real time about the issues it encountered, and potential bugs get fixed before other
users can be affected by them. No automaker in the world has implemented a feature like this in
its self-driving or semi-autonomous vehicles, but Google does collect data in a similar way.
Unfortunately for Google, Tesla was first at this, and history has shown that only the first gets
remembered. There is an exception to this history rule, as the one that does something better than
everyone else might be remembered on the long term instead of the one that did it first.

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According to those who tested the Autopilot feature, the display of what the car detects
helps the human with “peace of mind,” as the operator can rest assured that the car “sees” things
that are around it and assesses potential dangers. The relaxing part does not mean you can sleep
or use your phone, because the human is still responsible for the driving part, but the vehicle can
do the driving with the person as its supervisor, ready to step in if things go wrong.[6]

7.2: What Tesla Plans To Do With The Autopilot?

According to Elon Musk‟s statements, Tesla is three years away from offering the
“Summon” feature capable of driving a car from the West Coast to the East Coast or the other
way round. Since this company has shown impressive progress when compared to other
carmakers, we believe there is a chance this can happen, but not necessarily in the timeframe
mentioned by Musk.

We believe that Tesla can provide a car able to drive coast to coast and charge itself
along the way because it already proved that it can expand its network to a degree where driving
an electric car across the United States of America in a reasonable time is no longer an incredible
feat. Tesla customers can do this now because of the carmaker‟s efforts in developing the
“Supercharger” network, which is also free to use for the owners of the higher capacity versions
of the Model S.

Even if Tesla does not significantly improve its system - which it unmistakably will - the
Californian Company has developed a self-driving solution that makes life easier for those with
long commutes. It also helps when drivers are drowsy, or after a stressful day at the office.[6]

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CHAPTER:-8
CONCLUSION

By implementing this Autopilot mode technology will surely reduce the occurrences of
road accidents by a considerable value. In the future, the wide acceptance of this technology will
create an “Accident free world”.

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CHAPTER:-9
REFERENCES

1. http://www.seminarsonly.com/mech%20&%20auto/auto-pilot-mode-technology-in-
vehicles.php
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autonomous_car
3. https://www.trafficsafetystore.com/blog/autonomous-car-technology/
4. https://www.scribd.com/doc/61845742/robotic-car-seminar-report
5. https://www.wired.com/2017/01/teslas-new-autopilot-may-seem-lame-critical-reboot/
6. http://www.businessinsider.in/Heres-how-Teslas-Autopilot-works/articleshow/53012722.cms

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