Merak ettiklerinizi sorabilirsiniz..Çevirebilirim..
Amaç belli eğer sürücüden belirli bir metreden sonra tapki gelmezse sistem kendi fren yapıyor..Haliyle verimli olması için max 30 km hızda olmak gerekiyor.Accident avoidance...
New Ford Focus is the first car in its class that can sense if a crash is about to happen and then execute an emergency stop if the driver doesn’t react! This is the story of an innovative safety system that prevents avoidable panel damage and also warns other road users of hazards ahead…
Rear end collisions are an all too common occurrence on European roads and more often than not driver error is to blame. Even at low speeds, braking too late can lead to whiplash injury, expensive insurance claims and potential convictions.
Drive a new Ford Focus though and your chances of hitting a vehicle in front could be significantly reduced. Focus is the first Ford to be offered with the company’s Active City Stop system and in tests it has proved capable of avoiding collisions at speeds of up to 15km/h and drastically mitigating accidents up to 30km/h!
Ford engineer Joseph Urhahne helped develop the technology and says it offers huge safety advantages, especially in busy urban traffic environments.
“Active City Stop uses laser technology to read the road ahead,” says Urhahne. “We’ve mounted a light detecting and ranging sensor in front of the rear-view mirror and this will detect objects as far as 12 metres in front of the vehicle. This sensor is linked to a software which analyses your speed and the distance to the vehicle or object in front.
“If the software detects that you are approaching the object ahead too quickly, and that the distance between you is critically reducing, it will automatically apply full braking if necessary,” he adds.
Active City Stop operates at speeds of up to 30km/h and can be switched on or off via
a menu in the car’s instrument cluster. It works equally well in daylight or dark conditions.
“The windscreen-mounted sensor works by detecting light bouncing off a reflective object,” explains Urhahne. “For this reason we don’t claim it will detect cyclists or pedestrians. It works by hitting a reflective surface such as a licence plate or a shiny metal component. You don’t necessarily get enough reflection from a pedestrian or a cyclist.
“When we were developing the system we tested it on objects with and without reflectors. We suspended these objects from an arm which would lift the object out of the vehicle’s path before a collision happened.
Critical Distance
“It was essential that we developed a system which safely recognises hazards in front and only applies the brakes when necessary. That’s why we’ve designed this system to brake when it detects the distance between you and the object ahead has closed to about six metres - a very critical distance at 30km/h.”
In tests, Active City Stop consistently prevented collisions where the difference in speeds between two vehicles was 15km/h or less. It also successfully avoided accidents where speeds varied by as much as 25km/h. At speeds higher than this, some contact is unavoidable but the system will reduce the severity of the impact.
“Ultimately, we are governed by the laws of physics,” adds Urhahne. “In very icy conditions with low grip levels the system may not be able to slow you in time but it will work on damp or wet roads.
Advanced warning
“This system isn’t a comfort aid. It’s a safety feature. When a full brake stop has stalled the engine it activates the hazard lights to warn traffic behind you. It is a big advantage with our system that other road users are given advanced warning of hazardous conditions ahead. This is extraordinary technology for a C-car such as Focus. You will not find it any other of our competitors.
“We will be talking to insurance companies and explaining how the system works. Anything that reduces accident risk is a positive development and if this leads to lower insurance premiums for our customers, so much the better!”
Ford’s Active City Stop system makes its debut in new Focus and will also be offered on other new models in the future.
Introducing Joseph Urhahne
Married father-of -two Joseph Urhahne has many strings to his bow. When he’s not developing cutting edge technologies, he likes to unwind by Tango dancing!
Joseph joined Ford in 1992 after studying at ENSAM university in Paris. As a young engineer he dreamt of working on solar energy projects in South America.
Today, a typical day’s work involves organising a laboratory and conducting test drives.
“I’m lucky to work with such a motivated and diverse team,” he says. “It’s easy to
explain my job to friends and relatives because pretty much everyone drives a car.
The downsides? Well, dealing with complex processes within a huge organisation.”
Joseph recently traded a Focus Cabriolet for a Fiesta which he describes as “Très chic”. His dream drive is an Aston Martin Vantage.
So what are his favourite automotive developments? “I admire all driver assistance technologies and Eco driving technologies as well. It’s an exciting industry,” he grins.