General Motors Europe (GME) is claiming an industry first: a dual-function camera that reads speed limit and no-overtaking signs and displays them on the instrument panel and also alerts drivers when they unintentionally veer out of their lane.
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The system will be available on the redesigned Opel/Vauxhall Insignia next year. The new car makes its debut as a Vauxhall at a British motor show next month.
“These new features follow [our] philosophy of enhancing driving excitement by assisting drivers without reducing their level of control,” said GME engineering chief Hans Demant. “That means the system gives drivers information, but it doesn’t intervene.”
The front camera system combines a wide-angled, high-resolution camera and processors. The camera, located between the windscreen and the rear-view mirror, detects road signs and lane markings. It’s not much bigger than a mobile phone, yet can take 30 pictures per second. Two signal processors filter and read the photos.
Depending on light conditions, the sign recognition function begins to repeatedly read signs at 100 metres (about 300 yards). It starts by focusing on circular patterns then identifies the numbers inside them via contour comparison. When a match is found in the car’s software, the sign is displayed in the instrument panel; it will even prioritise a no-overtaking sign over a speed limit warning sign.
When the lane departure warning function is turned on, it uses a second signal processor and software to read traffic lanes and record a driver’s normal lane-changing behaviour, taking into account steering input and indicator usage. If any deviation is detected, an audible and visual warning is sent from the instrument panel, preventing hazardous situations, such as a driver falling asleep at the wheel.
Initially optional on the Insignia, the new system will be offered on other GME models later.
