Danfoss autonomous control software adds geofencing

Danfoss Power Solutions has released an update to its PLUS+1 Autonomous Control Library (ACL) software for off-highway machinery. ACL 4.0 enables users to create virtual boundaries around specific geographic areas, or geofences, for location tracking when a machine enters or exits a boundary.

PLUS+1 Autonomous Control Library (ACL) software now enables creation of virtual boundaries. (Photo: Danfoss Power Solutions)

PLUS+1 ACL software comprises preprogrammed and pretested software blocks covering areas such as perception, positioning and navigation. The software enables engineering teams at OEMs and distributors to add autonomous functionality to mobile machinery by integrating the blocks into their machine software applications, which Danfoss said reduces development time and costs.

ACL 4.0 includes the following new software blocks:

• Boundary recorder to allow an operator to create a boundary by driving around a specific area, resulting in saving a polygon to a file.
• Boundary converter to allow users to generate a polygon using geographical coordinates, creating a more precise boundary.
• Boundary loader, which loads a file with a polygon to be used with geofence checker, enabling the operator to choose from files that have been previously saved to match the machine’s intended activity.
• Geofence checker, which compares the vehicle coordinates to the boundary, plus provides a vector to the nearest point of the boundary and the straight-ahead distance to the boundary.
• Transform GNSS, an independent block that translates the GNSS position to a given point in the machine, providing greater flexibility when installing the GNSS antenna.

ACL 4.0 is designed to enhance Level 3 autonomous functionality while providing a baseline for more advanced capabilities. Level 3 autonomy introduces automated driving features to mobile machinery, enabling task consistency regardless of operator experience.