ZF’s Commercial Vehicle Solutions (CVS) division presented its latest range of future-ready automation technologies and expertised at IAA Transportation 2022. This includes ZF’s innovative next generation Autonomous Driving Open Platform Technology (ADOPT) automated chassis control solution. The advanced platform bridges autonomous vehicles’ virtual driver software with its actuation systems using standardized interfaces developed to automotive standards. Providing autonomous driving capabilities, ADOPT translates driving instructions into safe vehicle motion control commands. This includes automated hub-to-hub transportation on highways with ADOPT 3.0 and, for fully integrated yard automation, ZF’s ADOPT 2.0 in combination with its new SCALAR fleet orchestration solution.
“With our unique portfolio, we are the commercial vehicle industry’s ‘one-stop-shop’ for automated technologies, able to combine innovations from our vast ZF Group and our partner ecosystem to deliver best-in-class autonomous commercial transportation solutions designed to increase logistics productivity and efficiency,” said Carlos Gonzalez, Head of System Solutions, Truck & Bus, with Commercial Vehicle Solutions.
“From delivering integrated vehicle chassis automation systems to vehicle manufacturers, all the way to full turnkey yard automation solutions for Transport-as-a-Service providers, ZF can powerfully deliver the end-to-end automated solutions of tomorrow. Not at some distant point in the future, but right here and now,” added Gonzalez.
An Autonomous Driving ‘One-Stop-Shop’
ZF’s extensive commercial vehicle automation portfolio ranges from the supply of Level 4 autonomous driving vehicle chassis components and controls, sensors, high-performance computers through to advanced digital and connectivity technologies. Bringing these capabilities together, ZF can provide customers with full turnkey solutions, including virtual driver and automated traffic orchestration software solutions. This enables design solutions to be flexibly integrated within a commercial vehicle manufacturer’s automated vehicle platform or combined with the automation solutions and services offered by new automotive companies.
As an intelligent control interface to support autonomous vehicle motion control systems, ZF’s next generation ADOPT solution represents an important step forward for autonomous driving. ZF showcased high-speed Level 4 autonomous driving with a demonstration vehicle which was equipped with ZF’s gearbox and OptiRide Electronically Controlled Air Suspension System as well as its third generation EBS system interfacing with the ADOPT 3.0 chassis control software for speeds up to 80 km/h. The combination demonstrated high stability control even on wet roads and surfaces with uneven friction.
ZF also demonstrated a full turnkey yard automation solution using a driverless tractor unit to move semitrailers. Equipped with ZF’s ReAX steering, OptiRide ECAS, third generation EBS, Fail Operation Braking System and Fail-Safe Park Brake, it performed fully automated yard maneuvers such as docking and coupling. Up to 50% quicker, auto-coupling helps improve productivity as well as supporting less experienced drivers. The vehicle was controlled by a combination of ZF’s new ADOPT 2.0 software for speeds up to 20km/h interfacing with Embotech’s path planning and perception software. This demonstration also showed how ZF can leverage its SCALAR orchestration technology to automate the planning, routing and dispatching of vehicles in a yard environment.