Toyota, BMW’s Mini and Ford have all announced new driver aids this week that are either available now or under development.
Toyota will, within a few years, expand its currently available pre-collision system with a new auto steering function to increase the chances of avoiding a pedestrian collision.
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Its Automated Highway Driving Assist co-ordinates the new Co-operative Adaptive Cruise Control and Lane Trace Control to keep the car on an optimum driving line and distance from the car in front, within a traffic lane, with least acceleration and deceleration.
Both systems will be available in the next few years, the automaker said.
Toyota’s current Pre-Collision System uses radar detection to spot pedestrians and other hazards, by and day by night, and initiate alerts and automatic braking to cut the risk of an accident.
Adding automatic steering will help prevent collisions in cases where automatic braking alone is insufficient, for example when the vehicle is moving too fast, or a pedestrian steps suddenly into the car’s path.
PCS uses an on-board sensor to detect a pedestrian in the vehicle’s path. If it determines there is a collision risk, it triggers a warning light on the dashboard, immediately in front of the driver; if the likelihood of an impact increases, it sounds an alarm to warn the driver to take avoiding action and initiates pre-collision braking force and automatic braking.
If the system detects that a collision cannot be avoided by braking alone, and there is sufficient room for avoidance, it activates steer assist to direct the vehicle away from the pedestrian.
In 2012 Toyota introduced the system with increased pre-collision braking force and automatic braking in the Lexus LS 600h, It aims to make the technology more affordable and more widely available in its model ranges by 2015, prior to outting PCS with Pedestrian-avoidance Steer Assist on sale.
Meanwhile, Automated Highway Driving Assist (AHDA) is designed to support safer highway/motorway driving. The system links two driving technologies to help secure safer driving and reduce the workload on the driver: Co-operative-adaptive Cruise Control, which communicates wirelessly with vehicles ahead to maintain a safe distance; and Lane Trace Control, which helps steer the vehicle on an optimal driving line within a traffic lane.
Toyota insisted the driver would remain in ultimate control of the vehicle and that there is “no compromise in driving pleasure”. It plans to market AHDA from the mid-2010s together with other systems that can make driving safer and more secure.
Toyota is presenting its new technology at the Intelligent Transport Systems World Congress in Tokyo next week (14 to 18 October), and will begin road trials on Japan’s Shuto Expressway from 15 October.
Unlike standard radar cruise control which uses millimetre-wave radar to detect other vehicles, Co-operative Adaptive Cruise Control uses 700-Mhz band vehicle-to-vehicle ITS communications to acquire acceleration and deceleration data from the vehicle ahead. This allows the speed of the following vehicle to be adjusted accordingly and better maintain an appropriate distance. By reducing unnecessary acceleration and deceleration, it improves fuel efficiency and helps reduce traffic congestion.
Lane Trace Control features new automated driving technologies. It uses high-performance cameras, millimetre-wave radar and control software to keep an optimum, smooth driving line within a traffic lane at all speeds, adjusting the vehicle’s steering angle, driving torque and braking force when needed.
To bring its new driving support systems to market as soon as practicable, Toyota is making use of new component technologies and know how gained through road testing using its advanced active safety research vehicle, unveiled last January at the International CES electronics show in Nevada.
Based on a Lexus LS, this vehicle is being used for Toyota’s Integrated Safety Management Concept research at the Toyota Research Institute of North America, in Saline, Michigan. Capable of being driven autonomously, it is fitted with forward-facing cameras to detect traffic signals, and front-mounted sensors to detect vehicles, pedestrians and obstacles. These sensors also allow traffic conditions and road layouts in the car’s vicinity to be assessed, such as intersections and merging lanes.
Toyota has been researching automated driving technologies since the second half of the 1990s, and has been conducting public road tests in the USA for a number of years. It has also been road-testing its next-generation Intelligent Driver-support System in Japan for around two years.
Toyota is also taking into account the fact people are living and remaining active for much longer, developing technology that will support older drivers with recognition, decision making and vehicle operation so that they can remain mobile and lead fuller lives. Toyota is also working to create more stable driving environments that will help alleviate congestion, and thus reduce economic losses and carbon emissions.
BMW’s Mini claims that, since launch, Mini Connected has been market leading in the area of in-car technology, pioneering access to apps and services to both assist and entertain driver and passengers.
In future models the automaker will roll out a number of innovative driver assist systems that also use intelligent networking for the exchange of information between driver and vehicle.
As early as 2007, interface technology for integrating the Apple iPhone in the Mini operating system was introduced. Since 2011, additional online-based functions can be integrated in the Mini Connected package with the help of apps.
The head-up display helps the driver concentrate on what is happening on the road by displaying relevant information right in the driver’s line of vision. This can be seen quickly and conveniently without having to take your eyes off the road. The collision warning and pedestrian warning systems, including city braking function make it easier to avoid dangerous situations, particularly in city traffic. The parking assist feature offers maximum comfort in searching for and using parking spaces, while the reversing camera gives drivers a better view when manoeuvring.
Other innovations in the driver assist systems include the video-based speed and distance control which automatically keep a safe distance from the vehicle in front, and the speed limit information system, which detects and displays speed limits as they apply to the current section of road. This system is supplemented by the no passing display and traffic sign memory functions. The digital headlight assist function contributes to optimum visual conditions when driving at night. This system helps the driver use the full range of headlight functions. Oncoming traffic and preceding vehicles are registered by a camera, while automatic switching to dimmed headlights avoids causing a nuisance for other drivers.
Not to be outdone, Ford this week revealed prototypes with Fully Assisted Parking and Obstacle Avoidance technologies.
The automaker is also developing its Fully Assisted Parking Aid to enable drivers to park at the touch of a button from inside or outside their car.
Obstacle Avoidance uses automatic steering and braking to avoid collisions.
The automaker’s Research and Advanced Engineering division has harnessed developments made with existing technologies, Active Park Assist and PowerShift (twin clutch) transmission, to produce a Focus equipped with the prototype Fully Assisted Parking Aid system – which can also be operated from outside the car by remote control – that operates steering, gear selection and forward and reverse motion.
The Obstacle Avoidance technology issues warnings if it detects slow-moving objects, stationary obstacles or pedestrians in the lane ahead. If the driver fails to steer or brake following the warnings, the system automatically steers and brakes to avoid a collision.
