Blog Tesla Software Update Improves Speed Limit Sign Detection

Tesla’s latest software update (2020.40.0.4) includes a few new features and an improvement to its Speed Assist feature.

The update rolled out to Tesla owners on Wednesday. In addition to improvements to “Speed Assist,” which debuted in August, the update also included new security and infotainment features.

Notable additions to the software include:

Speed Assist Improvements – “In addition to local roads, Speed Assist now leverages your car’s cameras to detect speed limit signs to improve the accuracy of speed limit data for highways.”

Priority Bluetooth Device – “To avoid connecting to the wrong nearby phone, you can now set your priority Bluetooth device. Your car will attempt to connect to the priority device associated with the profile selected before it attempts to connect to other paired phones.”

Glovebox PIN – “Protect the valuables in your glovebox with a 4-digit PIN.” 

Charge Port Inlet Heater – “Your car can now use the charge port inlet heater to help defrost the inside of the charge port. The charge port inlet heater can be activated in cold ambient temperatures by enabling preconditioning using the mobile app, activating the rear defrost button on the vehicle’s touchscreen, or preconditioning the vehicle using scheduled departure.”

 

[tonybelding]

I have a MS with FSD/MCU1 and can see the speed limit sign in the dash when the speed limit changes. I don't know if it reading the sign or gets that info from the GPS maps. I notice it takes a while sometimes for it to change to the new speed limit.

Based on what I’ve seen with my car… If it reads a speed sign, you should see that sign flash past in the FSD visualization. Also, the change will be recognized at the moment you pass the sign. If you don’t see it in visualization, and the new speed registers 50 yards past the sign, then you know it’s going from map data.

When it comes to taking a curve in the road it does not do the speed of the speed advisory sign says to do. I takes curves way to fast and kind of shaky.

It doesn’t read the advisory/warning speed signs at all, and I am fine with that. IMHO those signs are a bit of a joke. They have no legal force (at least here in Texas, and I think in most parts of the USA) and their speeds are calculated from a highly conservative decades-old formula that most cars today can safely exceed by a wide margin. I mean… If you are going down a Farm-to-Market roads in a propane truck, or towing a trailer full of cows to the auction barn, then you really should strictly adhere to those signs. If you are in a Model S, then they don’t mean much.

It does look ahead and see sharp curves and slow for them. I don’t think it takes them too fast, and it hasn’t been shaky at all for me, but it does often seem to hug the center line a lot tighter than I would. I could just imagine two Teslas running the same program meeting on one of those curves and clinking their side mirrors!

Also it does not auto adjust my speed to the new speed limits ever.

Same here.

 

[Silicon Desert]

In total there are 5 forward facing cameras on every AP2+ cars.

3 in the windshield, 2 b-pillar cams.
So, in essence 4 cameras can be used to capture speed limit signs on one side of the road and 4 (3 of them being the same) could be used on the other side of the road -- like highways that have speed limit signs on both banks of the road.

yes, I guess I was thinking more that the pillar cameras were facing more to the side than facing forward, but I guess they could be used to read signs as they go by.

 

[mikes_fsd]

yes, I guess I was thinking more that the pillar cameras were facing more to the side than facing forward, but I guess they could be used to read signs as they go by.

Another thread on this forum has this nice image of the 5 camera view out of the car, the b-pillar cams are lookin out to the side, but still are able to see forward.
AP2.0 Cameras: Capabilities and Limitations?

 

[tonybelding]

I just got 2020.40.3 and did a quick test run. According to the release notes:

Speed Assist Improvements

In addition to local roads, Speed Assist now leverages your car’s cameras to detect speed limit signs to improve the accuracy of speed limit data for highways. As usual, to adjust Speed Assist settings, tap Controls > Autopilot > Speed Limit.
​

That sounded highly promising, and I was hopeful it would solve my problem. However, I found no improvement. It still doesn’t read 70 MPH or 75 MPH signs on the highway, and it still doesn’t revert to map data for those stretches of highway. Autopilot still won’t go higher than 65 MPH without some effort to trick it.

Oh, and on top of that, my A/C no longer puts out cold air. Not sure what’s up with that, maybe it just decided today was a good day to fail.

 

[ChuckieCheese]

I don't have my MX yet, but can you disable the Speed Assist feature?

FWIW, I disabled this feature in my non-Tesla car (Mercedes) because most drivers in SF Bay Area rarely drive on the freeway at the speed limit.

 

[Harlow]

Autopilot has been a disaster since the August release. I drive most 2 lane state and us roads and since the release It has the wrong speed limit more than it has the right speed limit. Since it limits me to 5mph over the speed limit it is useless when it thinks the speed limit is 45 when it is actually 70. Before the release there were a few roads where the limit was off a little but now it is wrong most of the time. I haven't gotten the Wednesday release so I hope it fixes my problems here in Texas when I get it.

 

[CDT]

Autopilot has been a disaster since the August release. I drive most 2 lane state and us roads and since the release It has the wrong speed limit more than it has the right speed limit. Since it limits me to 5mph over the speed limit it is useless when it thinks the speed limit is 45 when it is actually 70. Before the release there were a few roads where the limit was off a little but now it is wrong most of the time. I haven't gotten the Wednesday release so I hope it fixes my problems here in Texas when I get it.

 

[CDT]

Same, I had the FSD computer installed and now I can’t use Autopilot on most of a 30 mile drive that I used use for 25 miles of the route. Lame.