New functionally safe end-to-end positioning solution for autonomous driving

u-blox has introduced u-safe, a comprehensive functional safety solution for vehicle positioning developed to speed up the adoption of autonomous vehicles. The solution cleverly uses components proven in automotive driver navigation systems to offer Tier 1 suppliers and OEMs an ADAS positioning solution with a worldwide track record of reliability and safety. Typical use cases include ADAS Level 3 and above applications needing high-integrity and functional safety features. Also, ADAS Level 2+ applications can benefit from this solution to ensure that those systems are future-proof and prepared for a transition into higher levels of automation.

The company is the only supplier today to offer a functional-safety-and-SOTIF compliant, safe end-to-end positioning solution combining proprietary hardware with customised software and correction service. u-safe simplifies the automotive supply chain with a comprehensive solution for customers working on ADAS up to SAE Level 5. With this new solution, the company aims to take GNSS localisation to a new level. Integrated into ADAS and autonomous driving stacks, it represents an extra layer of safety by delivering functional safety (ISO-26262 standard), high-integrity and trustworthy positioning solution for highly automated and autonomous driving markets.

The solution ensures ASIL-B GNSS localisation for highly sophisticated safe automotive systems and includes u-the company's ninth-generation GNSS technology platform, featuring A9 ASIL-B chipset and module, PointSafe – which capitalises on GMV's high accuracy and safe correction service and onboard safe position engine - the u-blox Thingstream IoT platform providing services to the OEM backend, and customised integration support.

"Autonomous driving represents the most significant revolution in the automotive industry. While humans deal with risks daily, accidents involving autonomous vehicles have far-reaching consequences. Ensuring safety is paramount. Undoubtedly, the foremost requirement for customer acceptance and widespread deployment of automated driving systems is to ensure safety," says Peter Kalinowski, director of Product Management for Safety Critical Products, u-blox. "Our mission is to deliver the next generation of seamless, safe positioning solutions that enable vehicle autonomy."