WESTMINSTER, Colo. – Trimble has announced that Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. will be using Trimble RTX® technology as a source of high-accuracy positioning to enable the hands-off and guided freeway driving capabilities of the ProPILOT Assist 2.0 driver assistance system. This will be available initially on the 2023 Nissan Ariya. Unlike positioning with standard Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signals that may drift up to 10 meters (25 feet), Trimble RTX technology provides higher accuracy and enables consistent lane determination for driving applications. Increasingly used on freeways, the lane-level accuracy via advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) is a key enabler in the journey to fully autonomous solutions.
Patricia Boothe, general manager, on-road autonomy at Trimble, has stated that Trimble has been at the forefront of precise positioning for decades and has served the automotive segment for nearly as long. The combination of technology leadership and domain experience has enabled Trimble to provide more than 30 million miles of confident driving with hands-off driving systems.
The ProPILOT Assist 2.0 system allows for hands-off driving while cruising in a single lane. When the vehicle approaches a road divide, or when passing a slower vehicle is possible, the system judges the appropriate timing of branching off or passing based on information from the navigation system and 360-degree sensing. The driver receives intuitive audio and visual guidance and is prompted to put both hands on the steering wheel and confirm the operations.
Trimble’s positioning solution, with integrity monitoring capabilities, enables consistent lane-level positioning in complex, real-world driving environments. The driver must remain alert and attentive at all times as with any current steering system.
The Trimble RTX network is backed by a team of ISO 20000 certified network engineers and IT specialists, monitoring operations around the clock to ensure optimal signal performance and reliability for drivers who will depend on it. Trimble’s RTX positioning technology can provide decimeter-level accuracy in seconds, making it an ideal solution for autonomy applications, including automotive driving, when accuracy, speed of convergence, and accessibility to a single global network matter.
