ZF invests in 5G digital connectivity
ZF’s Commercial Vehicle Solutions (CVS) division has further underlined its commitment to advancing ‘Next Generation Mobility’ by investing in 5G digital connectivity.
Equipping its commercial vehicle test track at Jeversen, Germany, with its own powerful campus network enables enhanced testing of ‘Big Data’ backed solutions which are increasingly facilitating the next levels of Mobility as a Service (MaaS) and Transportation as a Service (TaaS).
This includes supporting the development of Levels 4 and 5 autonomous driving which demands seamless connectivity and enormous data management capabilities to enable autonomous vehicle control and the highest levels of safety.
“Based on an open intelligent Radio Access Network using a virtualised, cloud-based and open architecture, the new network ensures a stable transmission infrastructure with low latency and high security,” explains Dr. Rolf Reinema of ZF’s IT network.
“It can safely transmit commands to and from the vehicles in near real-time, its rapid handover capability ensures a seamless end-to-end data flow in moving vehicles.
“It took us just six months to set up this system for indoor and outdoor coverage using antennas that optimally ensure reliable handovers between base stations, even during high-speed vehicle maneuvers,” he added.
ZF’s Jeversen test track, located in Lower Saxony, Germany, incorporates a mix of curves, straight and low-speed sections, replicating a wide range of road conditions to simulate real-life situations.
Combining this track configuration with advanced 5G capabilities will further enable ZF to emulate different autonomous driving use cases, ranging from low-speed automated yard operations to high-speed highway operations.
It also enables connectivity with roadside infrastructure such as traffic lights and gates. Being independent from mobile service providers, ZF says it can quickly and flexibly adapt the campus network to meet changing technology requirements and rapidly expand it to support future innovations.