Pacific Telecom & Navigation Limited (PTN)

Background

With the breakthrough of computing power and more accessibility of high-performance computers, as well as the technical advances of various sensors, artificial intelligence is being revived.
An epidemic has also accelerated the process of various unmanned works.

What is L4 autonomous driving?

The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) has defined 6 levels of autonomous driving - L0 (fully manual) to L5 (fully autonomous), and the U.S. Department of Transportation has adopted these standards.
L4 highly autonomous driving :

L4 vehicles, with an "environmental detection" function, can make rational decisions on their own, such as driving past a stationary object. In most cases, L4 vehicles require no manual intervention, but the drivers can still take over driving. L4 vehicles can travel in autonomous driving mode, which can only be allowed in certain areas such as private residential areas, industrial areas, and large warehouses until the laws and infrastructure are perfected.
PTN is currently continuing

Brief Comparison of Current Automatic Navigation Solutions	PTN Solution	BAIDU /UBER/WAYMO	TESLA	Factory AGV Solution	Food Delivery Solution in Hotels and Restaurants	Lobby Solution
Application Scenarios	Can work in hotels, hospitals, factories, warehouses, closed communities, parks, and other indoor or outdoor environments	All scenarios, relying on high-definition maps	Currently it travels on highways, without relying on high-definition maps	AVG robot can only work in the factory indoor environment	Robots can only work in an indoor environment, and the environment is a small structured environment, such as hotel corridors.	Robots provide information services in indoor lobbies such as in hospitals and hotels
Camera	Single depth camera and single track camera	Multiple HD cameras	Multiple HD cameras	Some AGVs are equipped with HD cameras	Most are equipped with HD cameras	Most are equipped with HD cameras
LiDAR	None	Multiple outdoor LiDARs, at present too expensive for mass production	None	Single-line or multi-line LiDAR for indoor use	Single-line or multi-line LiDAR for indoor use	Single-line or multi-line LiDAR for indoor use
GPS/RTK	None	RTK is required	General GPS	None	None	None
Millimeter-wave radar	None	Multiple millimeter-wave radars	Multiple millimeter-wave radars	None	None	None
Sonar	Optional	None	Multiple sonars	Some are equipped with sonars	Some are equipped with sonars, or replace LiDAR with multiple sonars	Some are equipped with sonars, or replace LiDAR with multiple sonars
Floor tape	None	None	None	Most need to be pre-laid with floor tape	Some need to be pre-laid with floor tape	None
Running speed	Low speed, the current maximum speed is 14km per hour	Both high speed and low speed are available	Both high speed and low speed are available	Low speed	Low speed	Low speed
HD map (centimeter level)	Not required, self-built 3D map (route mapping)	Required	Not required	Not required	Not required, general 2D map	Not required
Algorithm complexity	High	High	High	Low	Low	Low
Mass production	Yes	No	Yes
Comments	A 10-year warranty is provided for 3D cameras, and the whole solution is reproducible, and suitable for mass production	Active transmitting equipment, such as LiDAR and millimeter-wave radar, are consumable parts and have a limited lifespan, for example, only one year warranty is provided for velodyne	In actual applications, mistakes may occur in road conditions with complex lane lines, such as sharp corners.

Introduction of current
commonly-used sensors

LiDAR

01
Depth camera

02
High-precision satellite positioning

03
Millimeter-wave radar

04
Sonar

05

Simple comparison of commonly-used sensors

Sensor	Price	Degree of Difficulty for Algorithm	Current Development	Advantages	Disadvantages	Summary
LiDAR	More than RMB 10,000 will be spent for a single-line LiDAR with better accuracy. Multi-line LiDAR is very expensive, ranging from RMB 10,000 to RMB 100,000	Easier	More mature	High accuracy, and accurate terrain judgment Fast R&D progress: There have been already many successful cases	Expensive Millimeter-level LiDAR is too sensitive to environmental changes, with a high maintenance cost LiDAR itself has losses and needs to be updated frequently Considerably affected by weather and environment (such as natural light, smog). LiDAR as the main solution also requires high-definition maps Unable to obtain image data, such as ground road signs, etc.	The development of LiDAR for indoor use is relatively perfect, and it is applicable to indoor, small, regular, and light-stable indoor enclosed environments. LiDAR for outdoor use is expensive. Can expect domestic LiDAR to reduce development costs
Depth camera	Medium Below RMB 10,000	High difficulty	Larger development space	Low cost Can process color data Low dependence on camera types Can be used both indoors and outdoors	Heavily rely on computer vision technology High requirements for computer computing power	Can be used in a variety of slow speed indoor and outdoor environments Low cost but heavily relying on computer vision technology The technical breakthrough is mainly in computer vision technology, which can be self-developed
High-precision satellite positioning	Expensive High-precision satellite Antenna High-precision satellite map	Easier	More mature	Relatively mature technology Stable operation on designated routes that meet the requirements	Relying on RTK base station. Unable to receive high-precision satellite signals outside the working range of base station Satellite/RTK signals are susceptible to interference from obstacles such as buildings and trees.	The technology is mature but relies on high-precision satellite base stations, and the base station cost is very high
Millimeter-wave radar	Medium	Easy	Mature	Very mature related technology Quick response	Low resolution of radar sonar	Can be used as an assistive sensor, not suitable as a core technology
Sonar	Cheap	Easy	Mature	Very mature related technology Quick response	Short detection range of sonar	Can be used as an assistive technology, not suitable as a core technology

Sensor Introduction
Depth camera
LiDAR

Sensor Introduction

At present, most of the finished automatic navigation systems take LiDAR as the core of operation, and computer vision is only an assistant. LiDAR is indeed an appropriate choice for indoor use only, but the core technology is actually subject to LiDAR manufacturers who are easy to be substituted if they have no independently-developed LiDAR.

Depth camera

Simulate the human field of view, and obtain the actual distance and 3D structure of the object through calculation. Both eyes form a 120°field of view by means of the dual-camera coordination algorithm.

LiDAR

01

Single-line LiDAR

also known as planar LiDAR, can obtain a cross-section of the actual 3D environment through a 360°scan.
02

Multi-line generates a 3D environment

The 3D structure of an obstacle is formed by multiple lines

PTN-L4 Autonomous Driving Solution

This solution is a general solution that can be used both indoors and outdoors, and can realize autonomous shuttle movement of multiple locations in the electronic map. It can be applied to multiple work scenarios such as transportation and mobile patrolling.

A robot (vehicle) equipped with PTN-L4 software will collect environmental data during the route-mapping process, and then analyze the environmental characteristics by the algorithm and record them as a digital map. Next, the robot (vehicle) will either receive instructions and autonomously plan a route from its current location to a designated destination or travel between multiple arbitrarily designated locations within the range of the electronic map.

Under the current environment, our company can focus on the independent research and development of computer vision technology with this solution.

Since the sensors required are mainly of depth cameras, and our software has portability, our solution is suitable for mass production
Core Technology

Core Technology : A patent application is being carried out for computer vision technology

Visual model can be trained according to customer requirements
Computer vision technology simulating the human's visual sense will inevitably become an important part of AI-related industries in the future

Get more solutions

Outdoor Solution

Outdoor Solution

Depth camera is mainly used, and some auxiliary sensors such as LiDAR and sonar can be added according to specific application environment
Computer core with higher computing efficiency
Visual model of the corresponding environment
Indoor Solution

Indoor Solution

Depth camera + lower-priced LiDAR + other positioning technologies
Computer core with normal computing efficiency
Visual model of the corresponding environment

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