The automaker patented an idea for a system that would give instructions to drivers on a racetrack.
This technology will not control the vehicle directly.
This could help novice racing drivers improve their technique and their lap times.
While most automakers are working on advanced autonomous driving systems and driver assistance technologies to be used on public roads, a few others are also looking at implementing these systems in different driving scenarios.
Indeed, Jeep recently revealed it is working on an autonomous driving system that could control vehicles on off-road trails and a leaked patent shows Hyundai is thinking about a driver assistance system made specifically for the racetrack.
While both of these situations don’t really sound like moments where most drivers would like to be assisted by their vehicle’s technologies, they could still make sense.
An important thing to note is that, unlike Jeep’s proposed idea, Hyundai’s patented system never actually acts on the vehicle’s controls.
Instead, the technology provides guidance to the driver in the form of precise driving instructions in order to help them improve their performance on the track.
From what can be gathered in the patent documents, this system uses information from a database in order to understand the circuit it is about to tackle.
Like other driver assistance technologies such as Tesla’s FSD, this system would also rely on data generated by other users of each circuit in order to improve its knowledge and provide better directions for future users.
This means that the first time a Hyundai vehicle goes around a track, it will send the driving data it collects to the automaker’s servers, which will then update the database in order to supply a second Hyundai vehicle driving around the same circuit with more relevant information.
The patent documents show that the data collected by each individual vehicle could come from cameras, radars, and even Lidars. This is interesting since no vehicle currently manufactured by Hyundai or its sister companies uses Lidar with the exception of the new top-of-the-line Genesis G90.
Of course, patents don’t always turn into actual features and sometimes automakers patent ideas only to prevent their competitors from using them.
If Hyundai does do something with this patent, however, the results might be seen fairly quickly since the automaker filed for it a year ago already.
Source: Motor1.com
