MOMENTUM - April 2024 - 29

TODAY'S ENGINEERING
system in AV-24 uses a high-power motor that enables quicker steering speed,
which improves vehicle handling. IAC AV-24's brake-by-wire uses linear
actuators compared to the earlier system's servo motors. Independently
actuated front and rear master brake cylinders are equipped with highresolution
brake-pressure sensors. The linear actuators include a position
sensor capable of reading the absolute linear position with a high resolution of
up to two microns. " A separate linear actuator is used for both the front and
rear braking system, allowing autonomous dynamic brake bias and migration, "
said Janam Sanghavi, head of engineering and vehicle integration for IAC.
The new actuating units for braking and steering, as well as a fully
upgraded sensor kit, enable new software programming opportunities,
according to Rodrigo Senofieni, control engineer with the PoliMOVE-MSU
Autonomous Racing team comprised of Politecnico di Milano in Italy and two
U.S. schools, the University of Alabama and Michigan State University. The
new automated race control system, " allows us to push even more from our
autonomous software stack, thanks to better sensor specs and faster
actuating units, " Senofieni said.
IAC AV-24 has the world's first autonomous vehicle application of
360-degree long range LiDAR via four Luminar Iris sensors. The IAC AV-21
used Luminar's H3 sensors with a field of view up to 492 feet (150 m). " These
sensors offer a field of view that extends up to 250 m [820 feet], allowing for
early detection of vehicles, " said Riccardo Poli, PoliMOVE-MSU's perception
engineer. Three long-range lidar sensors are mounted in the cockpit to provide
front and side views, and a fourth faces rearward from near the rear wing.
Integration of long-range lidar on the racecar posed several engineering
challenges, including the issue of reduced point density. To overcome the various
challenges, a perception module was developed. " This custom module effectively
harnesses and consolidates all the available information from the sensor, ensuring
an optimized utilization of the long-range lidar data, " Poli said, noting the tailored
solution enables precise and reliable vehicle-detection capabilities that address
the demands of a racing environment. In addition to the lidar, the IAC AV-24 is
equipped with two radar sensors supplied by Continental-positioned front and
rear-as well as multiple cameras. " The sensor suite ensures a robust and versatile
perception system for the racecar, " Poli said.
The racers' patent-pending modular robotics system allows for
interchangeability and integration
across different low- or highspeed
vehicle platforms.
" This approach-an adaptive

AV competitions at SAE
International
SAE's own autonomous vehicle competition,
the AutoDrive Challenge™, is a four-year
vehicle competition sponsored by General
Motors. The competition tasks students to
transform a donated Chevy Bolt EV into a
fully automated passenger vehicle-an
excellent educational experience for any
young engineer interested in entering the
world of AV tech. The technical goal of the
competition is to navigate an urban driving
course in an automated driving mode as
described by SAE J3016 Level 4 definition.
If you're attending WCX this month,
don't skip the Learning Lab-the AutoDrive
Challenge™ will feature prominently and is a
can't-miss component of North America's
largest mobility event! n
robotics stack with agnostic design-not only
facilitates extensive testing, but it also
enhances software robustness and paves the
way for the development of mass-market
driverless products, " IAC's Sanghavi said. The
modularity of IAC AV-24's robotics system also
benefits maintenance, component/system
swapping, and upgrading tasks. n
By Kami Buchholz, Automotive Engineering Writer.
This article was edited for MOMENTUM.
The second-generation IAC racecar is
referred to as the IAC AV-24.
MOMENTUM
April 2024 29
IAC
https://www.autodrivechallenge.com/ https://www.sae.org/standards/content/j3016_202104/ https://wcx.sae.org/ https://wcx.sae.org/program/learning-lab https://www.sae.org/news/2024/03/indy-autonomous-challenge-2024
MOMENTUM - April 2024

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