Hyundai, Hexagon, Valeo Introduces State-of-the-Art Vehicle Positioning System

Cherryl Anne Cruz • January 13, 2020 • 0 • 34

Hyundai, in collaboration with Hexagon, Valeo, and a major mobile network operator has unveiled a technology that allows to accurately point out a vehicle’s exact location while on the road. Showcased in the all-new 2020 Hyundai Sonata at the 2020 Consumer Electronics Show (CES), the system uses a “centimeter-level precision technology called High-Precision Positioning (HPP).

“This research will achieve centimeter level positioning accuracy in order to enable future technologies such as autonomous driving, safety applications for road users, lane level navigation, and Vehicle to Everything (V2X) applications. The proposed technique is unique, because position correction is delivered to vehicles using broadcast channel utilizing the already existing cellular network,” explained John Robb from Hyundai.

What makes their system is unique is that they are more accurate in pinpointing the exact location of a vehicle. Current GPS positioning technology in the market today only give approximate positioning within several meters–around 1.5 and 3 meters in optimum conditions.

HPP, however, works by using TerraStar X technology, “a correction to the GPS signal received by the vehicle through a channel of the cellular network”. This type of correction is determined by a network of stationary receivers that knows their absolute position, so a permanent reference point can be determined.

For example, when a vehicle suddenly brakes during an emergency situation, the vehicle will be able to send information about this recent maneuver and its exact location — including which part of the road it’s on — to other vehicles, making it much easier to anticipate the response required for other vehicles.

This feature not only allows you to pinpoint the exact location of a vehicle, but gives more opportunities for drivers to use real-time information about vehicle locations. It also facilitates the development of autonomous vehicles, and allows more accurate navigation system displays and user-friendly maps.

HPP can be deployed rapidly, because it is based on a combination of standardized technologies used both in cellular networks and in vehicles:

The data transmission channels already exist in the mobile operator’s network.
The stationary receivers, which are part of localization infrastructure, and the TerraStar X correction technology are already in place, thanks to Hexagon.
The telematics control unit has already been developed by Valeo. It enables the vehicle to be tracked and guarantees the security of data passing through the vehicle.
The capacity to integrate these communication systems into the vehicle architecture has already been acquired by Hyundai.