Sensor Fusion for Vision Zero
Hi, my name is Johannes, I’m a System and Software Integrator at our Frankfurt location and I work on a pilot project to develop a sensor data fusion device for driving functions required for autonomous vehicles. My field of work revolves around the first contact between a final version of software and the sample hardware in what we call a smoke test. The bigger picture is our company-wide goal Vision Zero, which means the prevention of all traffic accidents caused by vehicles. The road to Vision Zero is still a long one, but the technologies and products we are currently working on at Continental bring us closer to this vision step by step – and being able to be a part of that it makes me proud.
In my current position, I am working, as mentioned, at the initial contact between hardware and software. Aside from getting the Software onto the device we perform a series of tests to ensure, that a software version, which progresses to system testing (and then to vehicle testing) has a few issues as possible. Also profiling all cores regarding resource consumption helps to establish the state of the software. For this continuous integration process, I also make strategic decisions ranging from the tests we should create in our environment to management support in buying decisions regarding equipment we will most likely need for integration tests in the future.
Right now, we are working on getting a simulation of a recorded environment set up and running to represent the vehicle’s environment to the electronic control unit to simulate a realistic workload for the software. Only in such a situation statements about the resource consumption or timely behaviour are valid.
Continental is my first employer. After graduating in computer science from TU Braunschweig, Germany, in 2016 I was able to join the company directly. In my current position, I am particularly enthusiastic about the freedom with which I can tackle tasks. This article for example was partly written from home as I decide on my own where and when I can work best.
From my point of view, everyone can find their niche here where they feel comfortable and do what they like to do. No matter whether someone prefers to write “new” software, test software like I do, deal with processor driver development very close to hardware level or is an expert in high-frequency electronics – there are many exciting engineering challenges in our area. In the end we all make a small difference in our daily works quality, the final product and long term also safety on the roads we all use.
Johannes is part of our new campaign “My Job is done when…”. You can find more stories from our colleagues around the world and also more insights into the exciting working day at Continental on our careers page.
This article was written by our employee.
