Autonomous agriculture safety
Combining centimeter accuracy
with functional safety to enable truly autonomous, reliable farming systems
汽车技术从辅助到自主的演变
想象一下，在没有方向盘的情况下驾驶汽车。启动自动驾驶系统后，您可以在不看路面的情况下行驶数公里。
你会怎么做？是欣赏美景、看书、看电影、玩电子游戏，还是放松地打个盹，在到达目的地前醒来？在不远的将来，这一切都将成为可能。
是的，乔治-杰特森（George Jetson）躺在汽车仪表板上不动声色地用双腿 "驾驶 "汽车的未来场景就在眼前。
ADAS 系统和自动驾驶汽车技术的创新正在推动完全自动驾驶汽车的未来。
什么是 ADAS？
高级驾驶辅助系统（ADAS）是一套旨在提高车辆行驶安全性的技术。通过使用精密的传感器、GNSS 系统、摄像头和雷达，配备 ADAS 系统的车辆可以监控汽车在道路上的定位、速度和周围环境，以发现潜在的危险。
这些技术相互配合，连续收集车辆所处环境的定位和安全性数据。ADAS 系统对收集到的数据进行实时分析，以了解道路上发生的情况。
ADAS 系统有五个自动驾驶级别，其依据是车辆能够在不受人干预的情况下独立运行的程度。从 0 级（无自动化）到 5 级（车辆完全自主，无需人工干预）。每一级都代表着车辆的自主性和处理驾驶任务的能力在不断提高。
根据车辆的自动驾驶级别，ADAS 功能在 L2/L2+ 级之前可以接管驾驶员的控制，但仍由驾驶员负责，或者从 L3 到 L5 级可以完全自动运行。常见的 ADAS/AD 功能包括自适应巡航控制、自动紧急制动、车道偏离警告和车道保持辅助、盲点监测和泊车辅助。
可靠的 GNSS 对自动驾驶至关重要
GNSS 技术是 ADAS 和自主运行的基石，因为它是唯一能使定位、导航和授时绝对精确的技术。
通过利用来自多个卫星星座的信号，GNSS 接收机可以精确计算车辆的定位，即使在充满挑战的城市环境或恶劣的天气条 件下也是如此。
接收机通过复杂的算法对接收到的信号进行处理，这些算法能够将接收到的信息与来自惯性测量单元（IMU）和增强服务的信号进行融合，从而输出精确的绝对定位，该定位能够抵御卫星能见度低（密集的城市环境）或信号丢失（例如，经过天空看不见的桥梁或隧道时）的影响。
惯性测量单元（IMU）由加速计和陀螺仪组成，用于测量车辆的线性和角度运动。通过整合一段时间内的加速度和传输速率数据，惯性测量单元可连续估计位置、速度和方向。虽然 IMU 对于补偿临时卫星信号丢失的短期定位很有价值，但如果没有外部参考时钟的更新，IMU 的精度可能会随着时间的推移而漂移。
GNSS 校正数据| GNSS 校正系统（如 PPP- RTK）通过由能够计算定位校正（包括卫星轨道与钟数据参考时间、电离层延迟和电离层校正）的足够稀疏的地面站组成的网络，将精度实时提高到分米级。
根据 ADAS 的级别，车辆需要确定其与环境和道路拓扑结构的相对定位。这对于决定在各种情况下的正确操作至关重要。
通常情况下，定位功能依赖于多种输入（摄像头、雷达、HD-MAP、IMU、GNSS 和其他技术）。然而，GNSS 是唯一能提供分米级精度绝对定位的传感器。在其他传感器可能受到影响的情况下，它也能发挥作用。
通过利用全球导航卫星系统的功能，自动驾驶系统可以创建地理围栏，以实现特定功能和/或提高定位精度和可用性，甚至在传统传感器可能失效的挑战性环境中扩展操作能力。
带有 ADAS 和自动驾驶功能的地理围栏
地理围栏是 ADAS 和自动驾驶系统的一个重要元器件，它可以创建虚拟边界，如特定的道路或车道，在这些地方可以安全地实现自动驾驶。GNSS 技术是地理围栏的基础，因为它能提供 准确的车辆位置数据。车载 GNSS 接收机可连续接收卫星信号，并确定车辆的位置坐标（纬度和经度）。然后利用这些坐标来验证是否可以安全地启用特定的自动驾驶功能（例如，自动交通干扰功能可能只能在没有交叉路口的高速公路路段启用）。
GNSS 在 ADAS/AD 中定位的重要性
可靠的定位精度对 ADAS 和自动驾驶汽车的重要性怎么强调都不为过。GNSS 能够在广阔的区域和不同的地形上提供准确的定位信息，因此对提高自动驾驶中的定位至关重要。与传统传感器不同，GNSS 的运行不受当地基础设施的影响，即使在地标有限的城市或农村地区等具有挑战性的环境中，也能提供连续定位数据。这种可靠性和全面覆盖范围使自主运行车辆能够保持精确定位，这对于动态驾驶场景中的安全导航和决策至关重要。
ADAS/AD 中安全定位的重要性
一旦车辆依靠其当前定位进行自动驾驶，就必须做出安全决策。这些决策涉及可信度/完整性问题，必须认真加以解决，因为这关系到人的生命安全。
这就需要一个完整性概念，其定义为 "对定位系统所提供信息的正确性的信任度"。完好性的潜在风险可分为车辆硬件和软件故障、环境因素和无意误用。在汽车级 ,汽车使用不安全信息的风险应保证低至每次驾驶 10-7和 10-6（一次驾驶等于一小时）。
安全和高完好性的 GNSS 系统可确保车辆位置数据的可信度和精确度，降低事故风险，提高整体系统可靠性，这对乘客、行人和其他道路使用者的安全至关重要。
这对于车辆做出机动决策的高度自动化而言至关重要。
汽车级 ,汽车标准的引入涵盖了各种方法，以最大限度地降低与硬件、系统开发故障 (ISO26262) 或系统中电气和/或电子 (E/E) 元件因环境条件等原因造成的性能缺陷 (ISO21448) 相关的风险。
u-blox 在 ADAS 领域的产品
各种各样的自动驾驶汽车架构、功能和传感器需要大量高精度、高可靠性的定位解决方案。u-blox 的产品组合非常广泛，可适应多种 OEM E/E 架构设计。
它们还可以集成到不同的 DCU（ADAS、车用信息娱乐系统和车联网）或 ECU 中，设计用于定位/定位功能。定位解决方案包括带有 GNSS 接收机的硬件元件、包括惯性导航 (DR)、RTK 算法在内的软件元件、基于云的支持，以及在需要时提供分米级精度的校正服务。
ADAS级别不同，要求也不同。因此，适应需求水平并使用车辆定位信息意味着提供一系列解决方案。其中包括亚米级精度的多频段解决方案、带 SSR/OSR 校正服务的高精度多频段解决方案，以及符合 ISO 26262 和 21448 标准的预认证安全解决方案。
Why is autonomous agriculture safety important?
Autonomous agriculture leverages cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence, GPS, computer vision, and advanced sensors to automate a wide range of farming tasks. These systems can take on hazardous work, help mitigate labor shortages, and significantly improve operational efficiency. As autonomy increases, however, new safety challenges emerge that must be addressed to prevent collisions, unintended movements, or exposure to harmful environments.
Safety considerations are particularly relevant to prevent hazardous situations caused by:
- Perception failures that potentially lead to human, object, or machine collisions
- Lack of situational awareness and boundary breaches
- Navigation and control failures causing unintended actuations and movements
To prevent these issues, reliable high-precision positioning, heading information, and timing data from safe and secure Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) solutions are essential.
Machinery Regulation EU 2023/1230
In response to the growing use of autonomous agricultural equipment, the European Union introduced the Machinery Regulation EU 2023/123, a new legal framework for machinery safety in the EU, which was published on June 14, 2023. It will replace the current Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC as of January 20, 2027.
A cornerstone of meeting this regulation is adherence to ISO 25119, the internationally recognized standard for functional safety of agricultural machinery. To align with these requirements, companies like u-blox have adapted automotive-grade lifecycle processes and safety engineering practices to develop autonomous agricultural products that comply with Machinery Regulation EU 2023/1230 and ISO 25119.
General aspects of safety, quality, and security
Quality, Safety, and Cybersecurity engineering and processes are the foundation for developing safe agriculture products:
Scope and relevance of ISO 25119
ISO 25119 focuses on the functional safety of programmable electronic control systems used in agricultural and forestry machinery. The standard defines a structured approach for assessing, designing, and verifying all safety lifecycle activities, and compliance with ISO 25119 is considered a key enabler for meeting the regulatory requirements of the Machinery Regulation EU 2023/1230.
By promoting thorough and systematic safety engineering practices, ISO 25119 helps reduce risks and provides evidence that systems and functions are designed, developed, and released for safe and reliable operation. This supports manufacturers in mitigating hazards related to system failures, electromagnetic interference, and software errors, ultimately enabling the deployment of advanced and safe autonomous technologies in agriculture.
Bridging ASIL and AgPL
Despite clear differences in their application fields and operating environments, ISO 26262 and ISO 25119 share a common objective: to provide a framework for managing the functional safety of electrical and electronic (E/E) systems throughout their entire lifecycle. Their purpose is to prevent harm by ensuring and providing evidence that E/E systems operate reliably and do not introduce unacceptable risk.
Both ISO 26262 and ISO 25119 require a Hazard Analysis and Risk Assessment (HARA) to identify hazards, evaluate associated risks, and define appropriate safety goals. Each standard applies a risk-based classification scheme that assesses exposure, severity, and controllability to determine the required level of risk reduction.
In ISO 26262, this results in an Automotive Safety Integrity Level (ASIL), while in ISO 25119 it leads to an Agricultural Performance Level (AgPL), each defining the rigor of safety measures needed to achieve acceptable risk.
- Automotive Safety Integrity Level (ASIL): Defined by ISO 26262, ASIL is a risk classification scheme that characterizes the capability of an item or element to meet its safety requirements. It governs functional safety for electrical and electronic systems in road vehicles and ranges from A (lowest risk, least demanding requirements) to D (highest risk, most stringent requirements).
- Agricultural Performance Level (AgPL): Defined by ISO 25119, AgPL specifies the required reliability of safety-related parts of control systems (SRP/CS) in agricultural and forestry machinery. The AgPL scale ranges from a (lowest risk, least demanding requirements) to e (highest risk, most stringent requirements).
u-blox already offers products such as the A9 chip, specifically designed for safety-critical automotive applications with certified compliance to ISO 26262 up to ASIL-B. These products are developed in accordance with automotive-grade quality, safety, and security processes and are engineered with dedicated safety-related properties and features.
u-blox safe GNSS products are therefore also compliant with ISO 25119 up to AgPL d [ISO 25119, Part 2, Annex H] and provide ideal prerequisites for supporting safety-demanding agricultural applications.
Benefits of u-blox GNSS solutions for safe agriculture
u-blox offers safe and trusted GNSS solutions that address functional safety, SOTIF/integrity, and cybersecurity, in compliance with quality, safety, and security standards. u-blox is your partner for agriculture applications with safety demands:
- u-blox brings unique experience and expertise from automotive safety and security engineering, serving as a strong enabler for developing safety-ready agricultural products.
- u-blox safe products are compliant with ISO 26262 and ISO 25119 and are designed to meet the ISO 25119 AgPL d performance level.
- u-blox is prepared to support fast-track integration of functionally safe hardware into agricultural positioning systems, enabling reliable and compliant safety-critical GNSS implementations.
Looking ahead – 2027 and beyond
As the agricultural industry moves toward higher levels of automation and autonomy, functional safety will become a core enabler of innovation. u-blox functionally safe GNSS solutions enable manufacturers to meet evolving regulatory requirements while establishing long-term trust in autonomous agricultural machinery. Backed by a proven automotive safety pedigree, integrated cybersecurity, and a scalable design approach, the u-blox A9 enables agricultural OEMs to prepare with confidence for the EU Machinery Regulation 2023/1230 coming into force in 2027 and beyond, supporting the deployment of safer, smarter, and more efficient farming systems.
Questions and answers
References:
ISO 25119: Tractors and machinery for agriculture and forestry - Safety-related parts of control systems
ISO 26262: Road vehicles - Functional safety
ISO 21448: Road vehicles - Safety of the intended functionality
IEC 61508: Functional safety of electrical/electronic/programmable electronic safety-related systems
ISO 21434: Road vehicles - Cybersecurity engineering
