Jeroen Ploeg got his PhD in self-driving cars after a career at Hoogovens at TNO/TU Eindhoven. Now works at the company 2getthere B.V., which makes self-driving vehicles.

First, it explains the difference between automatic driving with a radar system and Cooperative Adaptive Cruise Control (CACC). The first system (ACC) only looks at objects in front of the vehicle. With the second, it communicates with other vehicles. This is called train driving, or platooning. This system allows vehicles to drive closer together and is much safer.

Theoretically, platooning (platoon = platoon, i.e. driving in a platoon) would allow a distance of 0.3 sec between cars. That works out to about 10 m at 110 km/h (≈30 m/s). In practice, 0.8 sec is usually used or approx. 20 m at 100 km/h or 15 m at 70 km/h.

One of the biggest problems is String Stability. In normal tracking, an unstable longitudinal wave motion occurs when there is a deviation (e.g. when the front one brakes). This can become so strong that stalling/file occurs. On test, if you have a number of cars driving in a circle with instructions to keep the distance constant, bellies and knots (traffic jam/standstill) arise. With good communication and transmission of all important data like distance in front, distance behind, speed, acceleration, predicted acceleration (= accelerator position), a stable process can be got. Distances remain constant.

The vehicles are full of instruments. A fast network, fast computer and huge number of sensors. No handshake is used in communication. That takes too much time.

TNO was lucky that in the crisis years, many top specialists (such as from ASML) did not have enough work. They were able to work at TNO.

The more difficult situations like merging from another lane and merging at an intersection are now being worked on. Nice videos of this. There are even competitions between research institutes. It sometimes goes close!

The SAE (= Society of Automotive Engineers [USA]) has 5 degrees of automation. The5th is fully automatic: without driver or supervision. Jeroen estimates that will take another 30 years. Now we are working on 3 and 4. See image below (from the internet).

The board of KIVI Region North Holland has the pleasure of inviting you to attend a lecture by Jeroen Ploeg.

In the past, Jeroen Ploeg worked at Hoogovens Research as researcher and group leader of Control Engineering. Then switched to TNO, first in Delft, later in Helmond. There he received his PhD from TU Eindhoven in 2014 on self-driving cars. Jeroen now works at 2getthere B.V., a supplier of autonomous vehicles.

Summary:
Autonomous road vehicles do not necessarily contribute to road traffic optimisation because they are primarily focused on achieving their own goals and perceive other vehicles as disrupting them in the process. Cooperative behaviour is needed to optimise traffic flow as a whole. This requires wireless connectivity ("WiFi") between vehicles and between vehicles and the roadside to get the necessary information. A promising first application of "cooperative automated driving" is platooning. In addition, work is now under way to extend platooning to complex manoeuvres because, after all, traffic does not just consist of train driving.

Programme
12:00: reception with drinks, followed by sandwich lunch in the teahouse De Cruquius
13:30: lecture by Jeroen Ploeg in the teahouse

Contribution to costs for lunch and lecture for members is € 15,=. For non-members € 40,= including two months' donor membership.