OEMs making collision mitigation systems key part of vehicle safety

Note: This is the second of a three-part series looking at collision mitigation technologies. The first installment, “Collision mitigation take rates on the rise,” can be found here. The next article, “Third party providers playing active role in ADAS development,” will publish Wednesday. 

Conditions on the road are anything but easy. Weather events, rough roads, dust storms and even insects can make running down the road less than ideal for a driver. But what about a high-tech collision mitigation system with cameras and various sensors? According to Roy Horton, Mack Truck’s director of product strategy, Bendix Wingman Fusion has been holding up fine.

“The fact that the Bendix Wingman Fusion system uses two sensors, the radar sensor in the bumper and the camera in the windshield, enables the system to operate in a variety of weather conditions, since it does not rely on data from one source, but is able to look at input from both sources to control the system,” Horton said.

Wingman Fusion is calibrated at the factory, so there’s no need for an adjustment unless a component is damaged. For instance, the system’s camera is mounted to the windshield and in case the windshield has to be replaced, dealers are provided with calibration instructions.

Bendix recommends during pre-trip inspection to make sure that sensors and cameras are free of any obstructions, such as snow or mud. Lower visibility driving conditions experienced during snow or rain events can also impede the system.

“These are Level 1 driver assistance systems. They’re not magic,” said Richard Buyer, vice-president of engineering and R&D at Bendix. “If you are in a zero-visibility situation, this system will have reduced capability even though the radar part of it can penetrate some of these conditions, but you as a driver should be driving smart. So, if you have low visibility, you should be slowing down. You still shouldn’t be doing 70, 80 miles per hour.”

There are plenty of collision mitigation features on Bendix Wingman Fusion, like forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, speed sign recognition and adaptive cruise control. And along with the forward collision mitigation systems, there’s also right side blind spot warning and lane departure warning. So which features have fleets liked best?