Mercedes-Benz DRIVE PILOT

The exact location of a Mercedes equipped with DRIVE PILOT is determined using a high-precision positioning system that is much more powerful than conventional GPS systems. In addition to the data collected by LiDAR, camera, radar and ultrasonic sensors, a digital HD map provides a three-dimensional image of the road and its surroundings with information on road geometry, route characteristics, traffic signs and special traffic events (e.g. accidents or road works). This high-precision map differs from maps for regular navigation devices by, among other things, its higher accuracy in the centimeter rather than meter range and its detailed intersection and route model. The map data is stored in back-end data centers and constantly updated. Each vehicle also saves an image of the map information on board, constantly compares it with the backend data, and updates the local data set if necessary. All of this enables stable and accurate positioning through a representation of the environment that is independent of factors such as shadows or dirty sensors.