Mitigating collisions with the latest in safety systems

Mitigating collisions with the latest in safety systems

Growing number of alternatives

The range of collision mitigation and avoidance systems on the market continues to grow. The Detroit Assurance suite of safety systems for Freightliner Cascadia and Cascadia Evolution trucks integrates with Detroit engines and transmissions, as well as the truck’s braking system. Included is a Radar System that senses when a vehicle is too close and enables an Active Brake Assist feature and Adaptive Cruise Control to adjust to traffic conditions.

Detroit Assurance1

Detroit Assurance radar can detect and track up to 40 objects at a distance of up to 660 ft. The system uses two modules to monitor and interpret the movement of other vehicles. Standard equipment includes the bumper-mounted radar and a Video Radar Decision Unit (VRDU), which refreshes its speed, distance and time calculations 200 times per second and sends commands to the ABS, transmission and engine.

Active Brake Assist (ABA) in Detroit Assurance is always on and, based on distances to other vehicles and speed, warns the driver and decelerates the truck automatically. Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) automatically and progressively adjusts cruising speed to maintain a safe following distance from other vehicles.

The optional Lane Departure Warning system in Detroit Assurance uses a camera system that tracks the truck’s position within the lane. If the truck crosses a lane without the turn signal on, the radio will mute and an audible warning will sound from the speaker on the side of the road where the line was crossed. The option is active at speeds above 37 MPH and can be temporarily disabled in areas where lanes are crossed frequently.
Volvo Trucks offers integrated active safety technologies, including Volvo Enhanced Stability Technology (VEST) with ABS traction control. VEST, according to the OEM, employs sensors that detect a dangerous driving situation and respond by automatically reducing engine torque and activating brakes.

Volvo Enhanced Cruise (VEC) with Active Braking is the OEM’s radar-based system that helps maintain a safe following distance in traffic. Using sensors behind the front bumper, VEC monitors objects to the side and within 500 ft. in front of the truck. If a driver is following too closely, a buzzer sounds and warning lights are displayed in the dash. If there is no reaction, VEC de-throttles the engine, applies the engine brake and when needed up to two-thirds of the service brake power.

Volvo VEST

Volvo also offers Lane Departure Warning, a system that tracks the road markings with a windshield-mounted camera and provides audible and visual alerts if a driver unintentionally drifts out of a lane.

The Meritor WABCO SmartTrac family of safety solutions includes ABS, automatic traction control (ATC), Electronic Stability Control (ESC) and Roll Stability Control (RSC). ESC uses a lateral accelerometer, and steer angle and yaw rate sensors for situations such as rapid lane changes and cornering on slippery surfaces. RSC is integrated into the existing ABS architecture.

RSSplus is Meritor WABCO’s roll stability support system for trailers. The system simultaneously monitors trailer wheel speed, lateral acceleration and suspension pressure or spring deflection, and if a vehicle approaches its rollover threshold, it automatically applies trailer brakes.

Meritor WABCO’s OnGuard, a radar-based active safety system, offers Collision Mitigation and Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) with Active Braking. The system uses forward-looking radar sensor technology to monitor the distance to a moving vehicle ahead, and if it detects that a potential collision is developing, it responds by sending warnings, automatically reducing engine speed and applying foundation brakes. ACC assists in maintaining a 3.6 second interval between driver’s vehicle and the vehicle ahead.

The OnLane Lane Departure Warning System with SafeTraK technology by Takata from Meritor WABCO is a camera-based system that helps avoid unintentional lane drifting. The system utilizes a camera mounted near the top center of the windshield to monitor and calculate a vehicle’s position within the lane. When OnLane detects that a vehicle is crossing lane markings without the turn signal being activated, the system sounds an audible warning.

Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems has extended its commercial vehicle safety offering with Wingman Fusion, which combines a suite of Bendix safety technologies into a single driver assistance system. Bendix Wingman Fusion integrates the Bendix ESP Electronic Stability Program, Wingman Advanced collision mitigation technology, and the AutoVue Lane Departure Warning system.

A combination of radar and camera data enables Wingman Fusion’s stationary vehicle braking capability. Activated at speeds above 15 MPH, when the system definitively recognizes a large, stationary, metallic, in-lane object as a vehicle, it notifies the driver up to 3.5 seconds before a potential impact. If the driver takes no action, the system can automatically engage the brakes. If the system’s data do not definitively recognize the stationary object as a vehicle, it will alert the driver up to three seconds ahead of a potential impact, with no automatic braking.

Wingman Fusion’s overspeed alert and action feature, activated at 37 MPH or above, uses the system’s camera to read roadside speed limit signs and alert the driver when the vehicle is traveling a specified amount over the posted limit. The system provides two customizable levels of intervention, one for 5 to 9 MPH over the limit with an audible warning, and if the vehicle is traveling 10 MPH or more over the limit an audible alert is accompanied by an engine de-throttle.

Bendix Fusion

The Wingman Fusion radar unit detects the distance, speed and angle of objects in an area in front of the vehicle covering roughly a 22° arc extending approximately 500 ft. The system’s camera covers a slightly shorter but wider arc of about 42 degrees by 300 ft. A Mobileye System-on-Chip EyeQ processor with object detection algorithms adapted for commercial vehicle applications powers the camera.

With a large percentage of safety-related events attributed to some degree of driver distraction, fleets continue to adopt collision mitigation systems that help focus driver attention on the road.

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