Toyota details new mapping technology for autonomous cars

Toyota has detailed its independent approach to map creation for future autonomous vehicles.

The Japanese manufacturer said the new self-learning mapping system - which gathers data from production vehicles as opposed to the traditional method of using specially built vehicles equipped with 3D laser scanners - will help the safe introduction of automated driving.

A vehicle's integrated cameras and GPS sensors collect road images and location information on the fly. The road images and vehicle position information gathered from cars is sent to data centres where it is automatically pieced together, corrected and updated to create highly accurate maps that cover a wide area. Toyota's new system uses automated, cloud-based spatial information generation technology to generate high-precision road image data from the databanks and GPS devices used by designated vehicles.

Toyota plans to include this system in the automated driving systems that will be available in production vehicles by around 2020. While initial use is expected to be limited to motorways, it will work on expanding it to cover ordinary routes further into the future.