Bosch Showcases Autonomous and Safety Technology for U.S. ADAS Market

Plymouth, Mich. – The Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) market is experiencing exponential growth across North America, as numerous automakers now offer SAE Level 2 to 3 ADAS features as optional upgrades across vehicle lineups. Bosch, a pioneering leader in mobility technology, unveiled its latest innovations during the Experience Days, hosted at the Bosch Technical Center in Plymouth, Mich.

In 2023 Bosch expects to once again post double-digit growth globally in the area of driver assistance systems. The company has more than doubled engineering capacity for driver assistance and automated driving over the past five years. And as early as 2026, Bosch expects vehicle computers for driver assistance and infotainment to generate sales of more than $3.1 billion USD.

“Advanced driver assistance features are becoming a standard offering across the vehicle portfolio and Bosch has been a pioneer in this space for decades,” said Tim Frasier, regional president of Cross-Domain Computing Solutions for Bosch in North America. A recent S&P study highlighted that consumers understand and want ADAS features that provide safer driving, and they expect them to be standard in new vehicles.

“Today, Bosch’s ADAS expertise encompasses a wide spectrum, including alerts, driver task assistance, crash mitigation, and visual and environmental monitoring,” added Frasier.

Bosch Experience Days highlights include:

New parking solution for unique and complex settings

Among the technologies showcased at the event, Bosch introduced its groundbreaking Anywhere Parking technology for the first time in North America. This innovation empowers drivers to use the vehicle’s infotainment system to define parking spaces in diverse scenarios, including unmarked pavement, grassy areas, or tight spaces. The system offers the flexibility for manual definition of parking slots on the touch display or selecting from detected parking slots, both in the same or separate views. Drivers can also adjust the parking orientation and position by shifting and rotating the slot on the screen. This advancement increases the availability of automatic parking in complex settings where existing solutions do not support parking assistance and can help contribute to reduced parking accidents and more efficient space utilization.

Software-only solution for video perception

Video-based perception of a vehicle's surroundings is a pivotal advancement in the shift from assisted to fully automated driving and parking systems. Recently at IAA Mobility 2023, Bosch premiered its standalone video-perception software and will showcase the technology for the first time publicly in the U.S. at Experience Days. Bosch’s transformative video perception solution uses camera sensors to capture and meticulously process image data from the vehicle's surroundings. The resulting dataset becomes a critical resource, empowering subsequent driver assistance and automated driving functions across a spectrum of driving and parking scenarios. The technology is entirely software-based and can be used independently of Bosch hardware on diverse SoCs (systems on chips). This gives automakers maximum flexibility.

New generations of sensors feature artificial intelligence

Surround sensing is indispensable for automated driving functions. Bosch’s new radar sensors enable assisted and automated driving functions at SAE Levels 0 to 3. For the sixth generation of these radar sensors, Bosch has incorporated artificial intelligence. This new generation performs better at measuring distance, high speeds, and angular resolution; as a result, objects such as motorcycles can also be reliably detected across the entire field of view.

Bosch will also show a new generation of ultrasonic sensors that due toAI-based height classification, offer robust detection capabilities such as estimating the approximate height of an obstacle, including pedestrians and low-reflection objects.

Alongside it's existing camera sensors with integrated intelligence, Bosch now also offers new camera heads that allow a flexible system for environment perception. Image analysis no longer takes place in the camera itself, but rather in central vehicle computers such as the company’s ADAS Integration Platform. Available in 3- and 8-megapixel variants, plus the option of a 12-megapixel version for Level 4 applications, the camera heads are at the cutting edge of image sensor technology.

The combination of hardware and software expertise is one of Bosch’s strengths. The company will continue to develop new, intelligent sensors with embedded software. Bosch customers will also be able to put together their own individual, modular, and scalable solutions by combining camera heads and the ADAS integration platform, Bosch’s high-performance computer for the ADAS domain.

Trailering solutions developed in North American market

In North America, Bosch has its center of competence related to trailering solutions to support the large number of vehicles in the market that are utilized for towing. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports approximately 50,000 hitch accidents annually, causing around 21,000 injuries due to negligent towing or faulty hitches. Bosch's Transparent Trailer View, a camera-based system assists with visibility around the obstructed view of a towed trailer on the vehicle's display. This technology enables drivers to effectively see 'through' the trailer, enhancing rear visualization to assist with reversing and maneuvering. Furthermore, the system can display interior images of the trailer when a camera is installed inside to monitor the content inside the trailer.

Bosch's Trailer Hitch Guidance system provides an efficient means of hitching a vehicle to a trailer. This system employs a rear-view camera and electronic power steering (EPS) to automatically guide the vehicle, aligning it precisely with the trailer coupler and lowering it onto the hitch. Initiated through the touchscreen, the driver can monitor the reversing path on the display, eliminating the need for a second person to guide the vehicle, helping to ensure proper hitching, and assisting with enhancing overall safety.