Recent innovations in automotive engineering have produced active safety systems ranging from side alert, often called blind spot warning, to adaptive cruise control, to collision detection and warning. What this means to the average consumer will change over time as these products become increasingly available. What this means to the automotive engineer is increased attention to safe technology.

Many impressive innovations beyond the now customary car navigation system have existed – and even been on the market – for years now. Adaptive cruise control has been available since the early 19990s. Electronic stability control has been an option for many vehicles since 1995. Scanning radars, crash sensors, pre-crash mitigation and vehicle and occupant safety systems are also emerging. Such systems offer insights into how roads can be made safer in generations to come and where automotive technology is heading. In other words, as cars become “carputers,” automotive engineers are driving shifting technologies.

The myriad of promising innovations includes vehicle occupant safety systems. For example, a crash sensor generates a signal based upon a potential crash or one already transpired via a continuously variable severity output signal. If an accident has occurred, sensors signal certain actions like deployment of airbags. If an accident is likely to occur, sensors can alert the driver in various ways so that she or he can try to take necessary actions to avoid an accident and/or the sensors can take action themselves by pretensioning seatbelts or initiating automatic braking. In many ways, this process is not dissimilar to the functioning of the human brain: The brain sends a signal to the body to complete an action, often in response to stimuli received from the outside world. Who knew humanity would serve as its own model for creating devices designed for our safety?

Often, though, such examples of automotive technology are integrated into high-end, expensive cars first, due to high pricing. As the benefits of these products become more widely known and their popularity expands, costs decrease due to economies of scale and advancing technology. As research and development pay off, these advanced products become more widely distributed.

The advantages of automotive system and component integration expertise will continue to increase over time. Such knowledge may be paramount to an industry focused on better fuel economy, safety advancements and financially feasible products. Engineers versed in not only the basics of these systems but also in how to integrate them is only the beginning. Savvy engineers who are engaging in up-integration – adding software that makes one electronic module do many things – and sensor fusion – using complementary technologies to enhance object detection and classification – may have an edge in an ever-competitive job market.

In the rush to meet consumer demand and stay competitive, suppliers tend to be increasingly eager to develop ways to integrate safety and other technology systems. Many vehicles currently come with automatic on/off, high/low beam and rain sensor technology for instance. A separate camera, of course, is not necessary for this. Install a camera for a lane departure warning system, and suddenly a world of possibilities opens up. Intelligent headlight plus pedestrian and sign recognition programs can also be added, to name a few, without the need for additional cameras. Separate module manufacturing for each technological innovation becomes unnecessary. Multiple functions and features on the same apparatus decrease cost and increase functionality

So, what’s next? It seems to be the perpetual question that automotive engineers ask – no matter how far we advance. Perhaps an entirely self-driving car. Perhaps hover vehicles on highways, following designated pathways and communicating with surrounding vehicles to avoid crashes.

What do consumers want? The evolution of technology. Inventions born of new ideas. And, ultimately, innovative products that can even make us all safer. It’s the engineers, though – the technological innovators themselves – who make it possible.

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Our 3D geometries can be likened to an extended sensor that provides precise knowledge of the road ahead, supplementing or, in some instances, even eliminating the need for forward-looking cameras and radar devices. Potential applications include: 1. Headlight steering that anticipates road curves and slopes instead of waiting for a steering input, dramatically improving driver visibility without impairing vision for oncoming traffic. 2. Improvements to adaptive cruise control systems by anticipating slopes and curves, thereby reducing false alarms from optical or radar sensors. 3. Assistance to lane keeping systems that anticipate threatening situations, warn the driver and, in extreme situations, brake and steer the car out of danger. Visit www.intermap.com

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Mike Trudel -
About the Author:

Mike Trudel, Freelance Writer.

Delphi Corp. is a leading innovator of automobile safety equipment and technology. To learn about Delphi’s safety advancements, visit www.Delphi.com/4Innovation or www.Delphi.com/4safe.

A driver is desperately trying to make a business appointment and fiddles with the phone to call ahead that she is running late. Another flips through a portfolio of CDs trying to find just the right music selection. Both overestimate their abilities and swerve momentarily into the next lane.

In today’s busy world, people often find themselves multi-tasking; and unfortunately, drivers are taking this trend to the road. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), not only do the majority of Americans view driving as a routine task (i.e., not worthy of special attention), 50% of all crashes involve driver “inattention.”

Safercar.gov agrees. It says 90% of vehicles in “fatal, single-vehicle rollovers involved routine driving maneuvers” and 85% of “rollover-related fatalities are single-vehicle crashes.” Based on these statistics, driver behavior seems to play a crucial role in fatal rollover crashes.

At the same time that drivers are being implored to practice safe and attentive driving, automotive engineers are also eager to create new technologies to help increase roadway safety. Isn’t there some fancy device that could warn a driver when he drifts into the next lane? React when another vehicle is in his blind spot? Apply the brakes before a crash?

Pre-crash mitigation systems attempt to combat some of the common causes of automobile accidents through warnings and automatic adjustments. Such systems are the focus of research initiatives into roadway safety and include adaptive cruise control, forward collision warning, lane departure warning and side alert systems.

In a forward collision warning system, the vehicle’s system literally senses the distance between it and the vehicle or object ahead of it in the lane. Predicting the possibility of an accident by sensing the distance between slower moving and stopped vehicles ahead, it warns the driver when appropriate. If a crash occurs, the system initializes precautionary measures – such as pretensioning motorized safety belts and applying brakes. Indeed, active braking in the seconds before a collision can play a major role in crash energy reduction.

According to NHTSA, some 200,000 accidents every year are due to lane changes. To help reduce the number of these accidents, lane departure warning systems have been designed. They caution drivers when their vehicles leave their intended lanes. Using a monocular camera mounted behind the windshield, the lane departure warning system’s software programs estimate lane width and road curvature, determine the vehicle’s heading and lateral position and initialize a tactile, visual or audible alert to its driver when he or she crosses a line.

It’s not difficult to guess, then, what side alert systems do. Using infrared sensing and other technologies, such systems help drivers become aware of vehicles in side blind spots. In some models, these sensors are integrated into mirrors, taillights and side fascia. The side blind spot region is scanned for temperature changes to detect a vehicle, a visual indication can be given in mirrors, and, when necessary, an audible alert can be issued. The technology is so advanced, sensors ignore stationary roadside objects and are immune to noise.

Once an automotive engineer has cameras, IR sensors and radars on a car, there is an opportunity to imagine and develop many more products. And, as automotive engineers perfect these systems, they are likely to become more widely available to consumers.

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www.gen-auto.ca Kevin Smith from Edmunds gives his perspective on new automotive technologies (hybrid and electric) at the 2009 New York International Auto Show.

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About Author

Mike Trudel, Freelance Writer -
About the Author:

Mike Trudel, Freelance Writer. Delphi Corp. is a leading innovator of automobile safety equipment and technology. To learn about Delphi’s safety advancements, visit www.Delphi.com/4Innovation or www.Delphi.com/4safe.