The towing car is equipped with cameras and laser scanners that detect lane markings, curbs and potential obstacles or hazards around the vehicle. Image credit: Nissan.

Nissan Motor Company has introduced a fully automated vehicle towing system at its Oppama plant, in Japan. The Intelligent Vehicle Towing (IVT) system uses a modified Nissan LEAF to autonomously tow trollies carrying finished vehicles between designated loading and unloading points at the plant.

Unlike conventional automatic guided vehicle systems for transporting parts, which often require the installation of rails or extensive use of magnetic tape, IVT does not demand any special infrastructure to operate. The towing car is instead equipped with an array of cameras and laser scanners that detect lane markings, curbs and potential obstacles or hazards around the vehicle.

By cross-referencing this information with map data, the towing car calculates its location, negotiating the route to the destination unaided. The car travels within the speed limits of the factory and automatically stops if it detects an obstacle or hazard ahead, before setting off again when it has determined that the road ahead is clear. The towing route can be altered to accommodate changes in production processes or vehicle transport routes.

All driverless towing cars are connected to a central traffic control system, which can monitor the location, driving speed, remaining battery and operational status of each vehicle. When two driverless towing cars meet at an intersection, the control system's algorithm determines which car should be given the right-of-way—and in case of emergency the system can stop the vehicles remotely.

The Oppama plant's previous logistics system required finished vehicles to be transported from the end of the production line to the facility's dedicated wharf by a team of drivers, at which point they were loaded onto ships. Introducing IVT will allow Nissan to improve that operation's efficiency, the company says.

Since system trials began roughly a year ago, Nissan reports that more than 1,600 test runs have been carried out. The data acquired is being utilized to ensure that the system can operate reliably within the plant's premises. Safety and fail-safe systems have also been developed to counter potential risks or unexpected conditions the IVT system may face during autonomous driving, including adverse weather and low light conditions.

Nissan says it will continue to test IVT at its Oppama plant and examine the possibility of implementation at other manufacturing facilities both in and outside of Japan.