ZF Group

ZF is a global technology company and supplies systems for passenger cars, commercial vehicles and industrial technology, enabling the next generation of mobility.

With its comprehensive technology portfolio, the company offers integrated solutions for established vehicle manufacturers, mobility providers and start-up companies in the fields of transportation and mobility. ZF continually enhances its systems in the areas of digital connectivity and automation in order to allow vehicles to see, think and act.

 “As system architects of autonomous driving, we have developed a sensor set that equips vehicles with all necessary senses in order to be able to perceive their environment digitally,” explains Torsten Gollewski, head of ZF Advanced Engineering and managing director of Zukunft Ventures GmbH.

ZF’s broad assortment of different camera systems is important for adaptive cruise control, for the automated emergency braking system and the Lane Keeping Assist function.

ZF also offers a broad assortment of radar sensors with different ranges and opening angles (beam width) The imaging Gen21 Full Range Radar, for example, is a good option for highly automated and autonomous driving due to its high resolution.

The high-resolution 3D solid state lidar sensors from ZF can display pedestrians and smaller objects three dimensionally. This is very important for automation as of level 4. The solid-state technology is considerably more robust than previous solutions due to the lack of moving components.

In addition, the company equips vehicles with the “Sound.AI” application so they can also hear. The system recognizes, among other things, approaching emergency vehicles, such as police cars, ambulances and fire trucks, by their acoustic signals. When fitted with Sound.AI, the vehicle will also subsequently pull over to the side of the road.

To merge the sensor information from the lidar, radar and camera systems to create one complete picture, a “brain” is also needed. ZF’s solution to this is its “ProAI RoboThink” computer. It is currently the world’s most powerful mainframe computer in the automotive industry. Once vehicles are equipped with this artificial brain, drivers will soon be able to close their eyes or do something else and leave the driving up to their autonomous vehicles.