Safety system 101: The simple facts about today’s advanced safety systems

Safety system 101: The simple facts about today’s advanced safety systems

Bendix Wingman Fusion

Let’s face it: while advanced safety systems offer numerous benefits, the fast-advancing nature of this technology has led to some confusion in the marketplace. While we all may understand what collision mitigation systems do in the big-picture sense, the details of each system are not always so easily understood:

  • Does it have forward collision warning on moving vehicles?
  • What about stationary vehicles?
  • Does it offer lane keeping assist?
  • And which features are available on which trucks?

To alleviate this confusion, we’ve laid out the facts about each safety system. On this page, you’ll see the advanced safety systems offered by Bendix, Detroit, Volvo and WABCO. Our checklists will show you each feature the system offers, which trucks it’s offered on, and any additional details about it. Hopefully this will be a useful guide on your quest to be both safe and informed.

 

 

Bendix Wingman Fusion & Wingman Advanced

Feature Description

Bendix Wingman Fusion

Adaptive Cruise

ACB – Active Cruise with Braking

Equipment: Radar-based system

Wingman Fusion uses its radar and camera together to identify potentially threatening objects, both stationary and moving.

Lane departure warning

Equipment: Camera-based system

Wingman Fusion detects and provides alerts when a vehicle drifts across a lane marking without the turn signal being activated. AutoVue Lane Departure Warning System from Bendix CVS is sold separately as a standalone system, but its capabilities are integrated into Wingman Fusion.

Forward collision warning—stationary vehicle

Equipment: Radar- and camera-based system

Wingman Fusion’s stationary vehicle braking capability is made possible by the use of combining both radar and camera data to confirm a vehicle ahead, and is activated at speeds above 15 MPH.

Brake assist—stationary vehicle

Equipment: Radar- and camera-based system

If the driver takes no action to avoid or mitigate a potentially severe impact, the system can automatically engage the brakes to assist in lessening the severity of, or possibly avoiding, a potential collision altogether.

Following distance alerts

Equipment: Radar-based system

Varying strategies are available to meet specific fleet following distance needs, ranging from 3.5 sec to 2.8 sec following distance. There are typically three alerts (close, closer, closest) above 37 MPH and two alerts (closer, closest) below 37 MPH.

Collision mitigation—alert & action

Equipment: Radar-based system

If the driver takes no action to avoid or mitigate a potentially severe impact, the system can automatically engage the brakes to assist in lessening the severity of, or possibly avoiding, a potential collision altogether.

Stability system

Equipment: Senors

Wingman Fusion is built on the foundational technology of the Bendix ESP full stability system, the company says.

Compatible with camera/video capture systems?

The system integrates with SafetyDirect by Bendix, a fleet / driver information system.

Overspeed alert & action

Equipment: Camera-based system

Wingman Fusion’s forward facing camera can read roadside speed limit signs and provide both in-cab alerts and haptic alert in the form of a 1 second dethrottle.

Bendix Wingman Advanced

Adaptive Cruise

ACC is also known as Active Cruise with Braking (ACB)

Equipment: Wingman Advanced is radar-based

Using a radar sensor mounted to the front of the vehicle, Bendix Wingman Advanced delivers both warning alerts to drivers and active interventions. The system provides following distance, impact and stationary object alerts, which are always available, whether or not cruise control is engaged.

Following distance alerts

Varying strategies are available to meet specific fleet following distance needs, ranging from 3.5- to 2.8-second following distance. There are typically three alerts (close, closer, closest) above 37 MPH and two alerts (closer, closest) below 37 MPH.

Collision mitigation—alert & action

Impact alert is delivered before brake activation. If the driver takes no action to avoid or mitigate a potentially severe impact, the system can automatically engage the brakes to assist in lessening the severity of, or possibly avoiding, a potential collision altogether.

Stability system

Wingman Advanced is built on the foundational technology of the Bendix ESP full stability system.

Compatible with camera/video capture systems?

Wingman Advanced will work alongside systems like Bendix AutoVue Lane Departure Warning, but the camera and radar inputs are not integrated into the same system, Bendix notes.

Detroit Assurance

freightliner cascadia 2017

Feature

Description

Adaptive Cruise

Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC)

Equipment: Radar-based system
Featured on: new Freightliner Cascadia (Detroit Assurance 4.0), Freightliner EconicSD, and original Cascadia (Detroit Assurance 2.0) equipped with a Detroit engine with either a Detroit DT12 automated manual or a manual transmission

Adaptive Cruise Control adjusts the truck’s cruising speed to maintain safe following distance—3.6 seconds—from other vehicles in its path, allowing the truck to remain in cruise control longer. With the optional headway control in the new interactive dash display, distance can be adjusted between 2.4 and 3.6 seconds.

Lane departure warning
Lane Departure Warning (LDW)
Equipment: Camera-based system

Featured on: new Freightliner Cascadia (Detroit Assurance 4.0), Freightliner EconicSD, and original Cascadia (Detroit Assurance 2.0) equipped with a Detroit engine with either a Detroit DT12 automated manual or a manual transmission

Lane Departure Warning (LDW) tracks the truck’s position and sounds a warning if the truck initiates an unintentional lane change. A windshield-mounted, forward-facing camera detects the reflective paint and raised reflectors in lane markers. If a truck crosses those markers without using a turn signal, the radio is muted and an audible warning is sent through the corresponding speaker on the side of the truck that crosses the lane marker.

Forward collision warning—stationary vehicle

Active Brake Assist (ABA)

Equipment: Radar-based system

Featured on: new Freightliner Cascadia and Freightliner
EconicSD equipped with a Detroit engine and either a DT12 or manual transmission

With Active Brake Assist 4.0 (ABA 4.0), the radar tracks constantly stationary objects.

Brake assist—stationary vehicle

Equipment: Radar-based system

Featured on: new Freightliner Cascadia equipped with a
Detroit engine and either a DT12 or manual transmission

Active Brake Assist (mentioned above) has the capacity to engage full braking on stationary objects it spots, such as a vehicle parked and unloading or stopped traffic in the truck’s path that has not moved as the truck approaches.

Forward collision warning—pedestrian

Moving Pedestrian Warning

Equipment: Radar-based system

Featured on: new Freightliner Cascadia equipped with a
Detroit engine and either a DT12 or manual transmission

With Moving Pedestrian Warning, the radar system on the new Cascadia can detect most pedestrians in motion and, as long as they stay in motion, can act to help mitigate a collision at vehicle speeds below 25 MPH. Moving Pedestrian Warning can detect most pedestrians that are moving within the truck’s path. If the Moving Pedestrian Warning system detects a pedestrian in motion within the radar system’s parameters for potential danger, the truck will engage in partial braking. Moving Pedestrian Warning is not functional at highway speeds and may not detect pedestrians in every possible situation, nor is it a substitute for cautious driving, Detroit notes.

Brake assist—pedestrian

Moving Pedestrian Warning (ABA 4.0)

Equipment: Radar-based system

If the Moving Pedestrian Warning system detects a pedestrian in motion within the radar system’s parameters for potential danger, the truck will engage in partial braking. Moving Pedestrian Warning is not functional at highway speeds and may not detect pedestrians in every possible situation, nor is it a substitute for cautious driving, Detroit notes.

Blind Side Object Detection

Equipment: Radar-based system

Featured on: new Freightliner Cascadia (Detroit Assurance 4.0), Freightliner EconicSD, and original Cascadia (Detroit Assurance 2.0) equipped with a Detroit engine with either a Detroit DT12 automated manual or a manual transmission

Blind Side Object Detection is an integrated part of the system.

Following distance alerts

Tailgate Warning

Equipment: Radar-based system

Featured on: new Freightliner Cascadia and Freightliner
EconicSD with a Detroit engine with either a Detroit DT12 automated manual or a manual transmission

Tailgate Warning will activate according to a truck’s speed and the following distance. If a driver remains at the following speeds for 10 seconds or longer, a visual dash alert will trigger: Greater than 45 MPH, following within 2.7 or fewer seconds; at speeds between 35 and 45 MPH, following at a ramp-up distance between 1.8 and 2.7 seconds; between 25 and 35 MPH, following within 1.8 seconds or less. Once activated, Tailgate Warning will deactivate only at speeds less than 20 miles per hour. By remaining in any Tailgate Warning mode for 10 seconds or longer, the event will become reportable via J1939 to the selected telematics system. Once activated, Tailgate Warning will deactivate only at speeds less than 20 MPH.

Collision mitigation—alert

Equipment: Radar-based system

Featured on: new Freightliner Cascadia (Detroit Assurance 4.0), Freightliner EconicSD, and original Cascadia (Detroit Assurance 2.0) equipped with a Detroit engine with either a Detroit DT12 automated manual or a manual transmission

Active Brake Assist (ABA) is always on and automatically tracks the distance from the front of the truck to other vehicles in its path using bumper-mounted radar.

Collision mitigation – action

Equipment: Radar-based system

Featured on: new Freightliner Cascadia (Detroit Assurance 4.0), Freightliner EconicSD, and original Cascadia (Detroit Assurance 2.0) equipped with a Detroit engine with either a Detroit DT12 automated manual or a manual transmission

When a truck gets too close to another vehicle, the following warnings are initiated (in order):
1) Audio with visual warning;
2) Partial braking; and then
3) Full braking
If there is still no driver input, ABA will send a visual dash alert, solid warning tone and slow the truck using the service brake (full braking on stationary objects for Detroit Assurance 4.0 only).

Compatible with camera/video capture systems?

Optional video capture with Bendix AutoVue is available.

Detroit Assurance radar system

Integrates into the new Freightliner Cascadia or Freightliner EconicSD equipped with a Detroit engine with either a Detroit DT12 automated manual or a manual transmission.

The Detroit Assurance radar system tracks up to 40 objects simultaneously, up to 825 ft. in front of the truck, identifying the top six vehicles by level of threat. The Video Radar Decision Unit (VRDU2) refreshes the speed, distance and time calculations 200 times per second. All of these actions work together to provide the most effective safety environment possible.

Volvo Active Driver Assist

Volvo-Trucks-New-VNL-Series

Feature Description

Adaptive Cruise

Volvo Active Driver Assist

Equipment: Radar- and camera- based system

Featured on: VNR, VNL, VNX

The system constantly monitors its surroundings using radar and camera.

Lane departure warning

Featured on: VNR, VNL, VNX

This safety system uses a windshield-mounted camera to track road markings. If the truck begins to drift, audio and visual alerts warn the driver to get back into the correct lane.

Following distance alerts

Volvo Active Driver Assist

Equipment: Radar- and camera- based system

Featured on: VNR, VNL, VNX

The driver is given feedback on following distances, including visual and audible warnings if action is needed to avoid potential collision.

Forward collision warning- stationary vehicle

Volvo Active Driver Assist

Equipment: Radar- and camera-based system

Featured on: VNR, VNL, VNX

After receiving following distance warnings, the final warning is a heads-up windshield alert to take immediate action.

Collision mitigation – action/ brake assist

Volvo Active Driver Assist

Equipment: Radar- and camera-based system

Featured on: VNR, VNL, VNX

If the driver does not respond in time to the forward collision warning, system will reduce throttle, downshift (using the I-Shift AMT), apply engine brake and foundation brakes to help driver avoid or reduce severity of impact.

Blind spot object detection

Equipment: Radar-based system

Featured on: VNR, VNL, VNX

The system uses side-mounted radar to monitor side of vehicle and uses visual and audible warnings to alert driver if a metallic object is in the blind spot.

Stability system

Equipment: Vovo Enhanced Stability Technology

Featured on: VNR, VNL, VNX, VHD, VAH

This is an enhanced electronic stability control system. The system continually monitors operating parameters including steering angle, throttle, suspension and axle inputs, this system detects imminent loss of control, jackknife or rollover events. The system automatically reduces engine torque and selectively applies braking at individual wheel ends to help the driver maintain control and keep the truck on course.

Is it compatible with camera/video capture systems?

A windshield-mounted, wide-angle camera is available. Relevant driver and vehicle performance data is collected by the camera when a trigger event occurs—such as excessive braking, lane changes without a turn signal, excessive curve speed, and extended loss of tracking. Video is captured for later download.

WABCO OnGuardActive

Feature Description

Stability system

Electronic Stability Control (ESC)

Equipment: Lateral accelerometer, steer angle sensor and yaw rate sensor

Electronic Stability Control (ESC) is an active vehicle safety system that automatically intervenes when there is a high risk of directional instability that could lead to loss of vehicle control or rollover. The ECU constantly compares the vehicle’s actual movement to performance models using various vehicle sensors. If the vehicle shows a tendency to leave the driver’s intended path (oversteer or understeer) or exceed a critical lateral acceleration threshold, the system intervenes by selectively applying appropriate brakes to better align the vehicle to the driver’s path of travel or speed, thereby assisting the driver in maintaining control of the vehicle.

Adaptive Cruise

Adaptive Cruise Control

Equipment: 77GHz Long Range Radar

Optional feature of OnGuardActive

Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) automatically adjusts the speed of the vehicle while in cruise control and attempts to maintain a set following interval of 3.6 seconds when there is a vehicle ahead. ACC works with conventional cruise control to maintain the set cruise speed when the lane ahead is clear and will automatically adjust the vehicle’s speed to maintain the set following interval when a vehicle ahead is detected.

Following distance alert—Adaptive Cruise Control not set

Following Distance Alert

Equipment: 77GHz Long Range Radar

Standard feature of OnGuardActive

The Following-Distance Alert will provide an audible alert and the in-cab dash display screen will turn yellow if you are following a slower vehicle too closely (within 1.5 seconds). This alert will end when the following distance is increased to a safe level.

Following distance alert—Adaptive Cruise Control set

When the system is in cruise control mode, the Following-Distance Alert will provide an audible alert and the in-cab dash display screen will turn yellow if the driver uses the accelerator pedal to override the ACC and approaches a vehicle too closely. The Following-Distance Alert will not provide warnings when your vehicle speed is below 15 MPH or over 77 MPH.

Forward collision warning—moving vehicle and stationary vehicle

Forward collision warning

Equipment: 77GHz Long Range Radar

Standard feature of OnGuardActive

OnGuardActive’s Forward Collision Warning provides both visual and audible alerts if a potential rear-end collision is developing, both in the case of both a moving or stationary vehicle or object.

Collision mitigation—alert

Haptic warning

Equipment: 77GHz Long Range Radar

Standard feature of OnGuardActive

If a potential collision is still developing and the driver does not take action to decelerate the vehicle, OnGuardActive issues a haptic warning, which is a quick brake pulse to accelerate the driver’s response to imminent collisions.

Collision mitigation—action

Active Braking

Equipment: 77GHz Long Range Radar

Standard feature of OnGuardActive

If a potential collision with a moving or stationary vehicle still exists, and the driver still has not taken the appropriate action, OnGuardActive’s CMS will apply the foundation brakes to provide up to 50% of available braking power—even in low visibility conditions. Depending on the vehicle speed, this can bring the vehicle to a complete stop. This applies to moving, stopped and stationary vehicles.

Lane departure warning

OnLane Lane Departure Warning System (LDWS)

Equipment: Camera-based, stand-alone system, but integral part of modular ADAS portfolio to enable the fleets to source according to their needs

OnLane Lane Departure Warning System (LDWS) is a camera-based warning system that helps truck drivers avoid unintended lane drifts. The system utilizes a camera mounted near the top center of the vehicle’s windshield to monitor and calculate the vehicle’s position within the lane. When OnLane detects the vehicle crossing lane markings without the turn signal being activated, the system sounds an audible warning. This alerts the driver to take corrective action to prevent potential collisions or run-off-road accidents.

Compatible with camera/video capture systems?

Critical events video capture

Equipment: Camera-based system

Integrated feature of OnLane

• Offers optional video capture for critical events that occur while driving
• Stores up to 20 critical event videos for later viewing and downloading
• Includes free video content downloadable via WABCO’s Toolbox.

Blind spot object detection

OnSide Blind Spot Detection System – standalone system

Equipment: 24Ghz Short Range Radar.

OnSide assists drivers merging into adjacent, passenger side lanes by checking them for clearance. The Advanced Driver Assistance System, relying on a radar sensor, addresses side collisions and helps to prevent or mitigate up to 10% of large truck crashes annually, according to WABCO. The sensor can be protected from wear and tear by mounting it behind the fairings OnSide’s algorithm filters out stationary objects and only warns of moving vehicles appearing in the truck’s passenger side blind spot.

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