With the acceleration of mass production of high-end autonomous driving, new market opportunities have begun to emerge.
In addition to the improvement of perception, calculation and decision-making capabilities, the support of chassis-by-wire technology is also crucial for high-order autonomous driving, especially the braking and steering systems with redundant functions, which is another revolution based on the original electrification (from electronic assist braking to intelligent integrated braking).
At this stage, the chassis electronic control system is still in a stage of rapid development. The continuous integration of control systems such as braking, steering, and suspension, and the performance improvement space of mutual backup and redundancy are also being released.
For example, Bosch's previous iBooster+ESPhev and IPB+RBU redundant braking solutions mean that two sets of independent electronic brake control units support a speed range of 0-120km/h, effectively avoiding the "brake failure" that users worry about.
For example, Continental's MK C1 integrated braking system, on the basis of similar integrated "iBooster+ESPhev", can be added to the MK100 hydraulic brake system HBE, so as to achieve safe and reliable redundant backup.
According to the monitoring data of The Institute of Intelligent Vehicles of Gaogong, the number of new cars (excluding imports and exports) in the Chinese market in 2021 is equipped with an intelligent integrated braking system as standard for 850,400 units, of which Bosch IPB, Continental MK C1/evo, and ZF IBC occupy the main share.
However, with the improvement of the financing scale of the domestic chassis wire control market segment, local suppliers in the mainland are breaking the market barriers of the key core components of intelligent driving that have been monopolized by foreign giants such as Bosch, Continental, and ZF for many years.
Not long ago, Gelubo Technology Co., Ltd. announced the completion of a B++ round of financing of 200 million yuan, this round of financing by Baidu Venture Capital, Xinding Capital, Huichuan Waniu, Hubei High Investment, Zifeng Capital and other joint investment, Dachen Chuanghong continued to increase investment.
After the completion of this round of financing, Globo will further expand the mass production of mature products such as EPB, ESC and GIBS (Two-box), ensure supply capacity, and accelerate the large-scale industrialization of new products GIBC (onebox) and chassis domain controller CDM.
Gerubbo may become the third company to achieve mass production of ONE BOX after Domestic Bethel and BYD. It is reported that its One-box mass production time is set for Q4 2022.
How to break through?
Liu Zhaoyong, founder of Globo, said that high-level autonomous driving requires not only the improvement of perception, calculation and decision-making capabilities, but also the blessing of wire control chassis technology.
In particular, the braking and steering systems with redundant functions are another revolution based on the original electrification ( from electronic assist braking to intelligent integrated braking ) .
Since its inception, Glubo has been led by the forward research and development of intelligent chassis-by-wire technology, focusing on the matching ability of the vehicle's in-line chassis system and the integration ability of the intelligent driving system. R & D, design, production, sales and service in one.
The company is mainly engaged in EPB, EBS, ABS, ESC, twobox, Onebox, CDM and other core products of the remote control chassis, and can provide intelligent driving remote chassis platform.
At present, GRUB's EPB, ESC, GIBS and other products have been applied to Great Wall, Chery, Geely, BYD, Isuzu, Wuling, Nezha and other well-known domestic car companies and new car-making forces.
Under the premise that the localization of the chassis control system is accelerating, on the one hand, the industry's "inner volume" is expected to reduce the system development cost of the main engine factory; at the same time, after the emergence of the chassis domain controller CDM, the response delay of the wire control system and the difficulty of algorithm development will be greatly reduced.
Among them, line control is a crucial component.
According to the degree of integration, the wire control dynamic system is divided into TWO-BOX (iBooster+ESPhev) and ONE-BOX two technical solutions.
Due to the higher degree of integration, the "ONE-BOX" scheme has the advantage in performance, volume and weight, and its price is generally lower than that of the "TWO-BOX" scheme.
Therefore, in terms of practical applications, ONE-BOX is more conducive to replacing the traditional hydraulic brake system, and is expected to become the mainstream technology solution in the future.
However, due to the difficulty of research and development, the cost of mass production is high at this stage, so the current capacity is only in its infancy.
On the other hand, because the solution integrates ESC and EPB functions, it must have the research and development foundation of ESC and EPB to be eligible to seize the ONE-BOX market.
It can be said that the past research and development is the value of the future.
Specifically, the complex vehicle dynamics control algorithm requires a long period of experience, the hydraulic system design is difficult and the manufacturing requires excellent precision machining capabilities, and the domestic has been weak in this field.
Because the braking system has very high reliability requirements, it is difficult for emerging companies to obtain the approval of the main engine factory in a short period of time, so it is difficult for domestic parts manufacturers to effectively break through for a long time.
At present, only a few companies with ESC and EPB foundations in China are Bethel, Globo, ANDD. Other domestic startups are still only in the ebooster stage. At present, only Bethel and BYD have achieved mass production of the ONE-BOX solution.
Gruber is close behind, with mass production to be completed this year.
On the other hand, the electric power transmission unit used in the ONE-BOX solution introduced by the industry is mostly a worm gear with a one-way pressure construction unit.
Among them, the worm gear transmission efficiency is low, the movement smoothness is average, and the noise is large. The one-way pressure construction unit can control the systematic pressure drop for a long time on the low-attached road surface, which may lead to an increase in the braking distance, which is not conducive to ensuring the safety of the system.
It is reported that the Gelubo electric power transmission unit is a ball screw plus two-way pressure construction component scheme.
Ball screw transmission efficiency is high, the movement smoothness is good, and the noise is smaller. Two-way pressure construction, that is, the motor forward and reverse can be built pressure, compared to the one-way pressure, in the low road surface can achieve a longer smooth braking, extreme braking conditions under better braking performance.
At the same time, the optimized solenoid valve design components support low road surface control for a long time without system pressure drop, which greatly extends the service life of the product and brings higher cost performance.
The next generation of Grenfell's business rivals is also considering the model.
In addition, Gruber has newly designed a new solenoid valve for the use of one-box, which supports the heat control of long-term power-on, without the need to power up and down at each time of braking, and has good low noise comfort.
In terms of assembly arrangement, Globo optimized the integrated valve block to eliminate the electric cylinder chamber assembly, and the motor was arranged on a horizontal plane, reducing costs and avoiding the risk of brake fluid entering the motor and causing system failure.
Exclusive advantage
If you want to build a tall building, you must first build a foundation.
It can be said that the line control dynamic field that Globo has been deeply cultivating for many years since its inception has provided a solid foundation and reference for the development of One-box, and it is also the only way for Globo to obtain a higher degree of integrated track admission tickets.
"If you look at individual products such as automatic braking system IBC, vehicle stability system ESC, electronic parking EPB, chassis domain CDM, AEB, ACC, etc., each segment has a different competitive landscape. But if we put these products together to see the situation in the field of complete line control, it can be said that we are the only one in the industry. Grambo related people said.
As far as the line control dynamic system is concerned, Globo can meet the requirements of full decoupling and non-decoupling, and fully realize the wire control action, wire control and assist mode.
Its products can achieve a high degree of integration, eliminate the control node, reduce the bus load rate, and improve the calculation efficiency.
Among them, the full decoupling scheme has lower cost and higher reliability than the non-decoupling scheme.
Its high-end version integrates IMU sensors and ESC algorithms, and can also realize ESC functions when connecting to external ABS.
Compared with the high cost of mass production processes and high costs that you have suffered from for many years, Globo's solutions are less difficult to assemble and manufacture, cover a wider range of models, achieve high dynamic response, and support a variety of driver assistance functions and automatic driving functions.
Compared with foreign head brands, local auto parts suppliers have a deeper understanding of road and driving scenarios with Chinese characteristics, and can launch local solutions that are more in line with the needs of local models.
At the same time, Gerubbo has more advantages in product differentiation, rapid response, and in-depth collaboration, and has thus been recognized by major independent brand car companies.
Liu Zhaoyong said that after the completion of this round of financing, Globo will continue to consolidate its comprehensive strength in technology research and development, product iteration, mass production promotion, etc., build industrialization and customer service capabilities, and enhance the core competitiveness of high-quality delivery.