ATLANTA. WABCO Holdings Inc. unveiled a new version of the industry leading OnGuardACTIVE collision mitigation system at the TMC Annual Meeting and Technology Exhibition here. OnGuardACTIVE is a radar-based active safety system that provides forward collision warning, active braking and adaptive cruise control to assist drivers in recognizing and responding to situations that could lead to a rear-end collision.
The newest version of OnGuardACTIVE allows for a full stop from up to 37 miles per hour (60 kph) through active braking after detecting stopped, stationary and moving objects. The OnGuardACTIVE system offers improved object detection via enhanced filtering capabilities of the integrated far- and near-range dual-beam radar. The system detects objects up to 650 feet ahead, allowing the driver to take evasive action, if necessary.
“WABCO was the industry pioneer in active braking technology for commercial vehicles in 2007, and our global engineering organization has helped ensure that OnGuardACTIVE remains the benchmark for system functionality and performance more than a decade later,” said Jon Morrison, WABCO president, Americas. “Each new generation of this system marks an important step forward in helping fleets dramatically reduce the incidence and expense of rear-end collisions.”
When a collision might be imminent, the system alerts the driver through a dedicated warning sequence that begins with a visual alert, then emits a series of audible warnings followed by a haptic brake pulse to quicken the driver’s response. If the driver does not take corrective action, the system automatically reduces engine torque and applies the foundation brakes to prevent or mitigate the rear-end collision. Unlike camera-based technology, OnGuardACTIVE is reliable in low visibility situations, such as fog or inclement weather, thus improving visual detection and active safety. In addition, the system’s adaptive cruise control improves the comfort and overall driving experience for the vehicle operator by automatically adjusting the vehicle’s speed to maintain a safe following distance.
WABCO OnGuardACTIVE is available for most vehicle types. All system components are engineered for extended durability and easy maintenance.
WABCO, SmartDrive collaborate
Also at TMC, WABCO announced that it has collaborated with SmartDrive Systems to provide safety event video recording through the WABCO OnLane camera system. SmartDrive provides video-based safety and transportation intelligence, which a growing number of fleets are adopting in order to monitor and improve driver performance, reduce the likelihood of collisions and help exonerate not-at-fault drivers.
SmartDrive video event recording is yet another capability added to the WABCO OnLane product family, joining existing technologies such as lane departure warning and active lane keeping assist, which are all possible through the application of one camera. This new service offering is exclusive to WABCO and is focused on capturing several safety related events by combining the SmartDrive SR4 video telematics platform with the WABCO OnLaneALERT lane departure warning system. Fleets will be able to add this service without the need to invest in additional cameras, providing easy access to a video-enabled active safety suite.
“This additional functionality completes our vision of a comprehensive active safety suite by combining our proven active steering and ADAS products with video documentation of critical events that affect driver and fleet safety, liability and operating costs,” said Morrison. “Our collaboration with SmartDrive enables us to extend our technology leadership by providing a complete, single-source platform that can help fleets achieve an additional level of safety.”
As part of the service, fleets will be able to use the integrated solutions to record a range of safety related events, including collisions and ADAS triggers, including:
- Lane departure warning
- Forward collision warning
- Short following
- Roll stability
- Fishtailing
- ABS events
The use of this feature supports fleets on performance and risk monitoring, training/coaching and to assist in exonerating the driver and fleet of liability following a not-at-fault accident.
As with WABCO active steering and ADAS solutions, the SmartDrive system is compatible with many commercial vehicle nameplates, enabling fleets operating multiple brands of trucks to implement a single, comprehensive safety platform across all assets.
The new SmartDrive system is available for new trucks using OnLaneALERT and as a retrofit option for all trucks in the fleet.
Active Lateral Safety Technology
Thirdly, WABCO introduced an integrated Active Lateral Safety technology suite to help fleets reduce accidents and increase driver control and comfort in a full range of operating environments. The new suite, which will be available later this year, integrates the company’s world-class active steering technology with two Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) to establish a comprehensive cocoon of safety around the vehicle.
“By combining these technologies into an integrated safety package, we have extended the benefits of active steering to two of the most common critical events leading to accidents – drifting out of the desired travel lane and failing to detect a vehicle in the driver’s blind spot,” said Morrison. “We are pioneering the creation of Active Lateral Safety as we did with forward safety when we introduced our OnGuard ADAS system. Together, these solutions enhance vehicle intelligence and protection to support the overall success and safety of on-highway fleets.”
The new Active Lateral Safety suite consists of three proven, integrated safety solutions from WABCO:
- Active steering system featuring a Sheppard hydraulic power steering gear equipped with magnetic torque overlay technology
- OnLaneASSIST active lane keeping assist system
- OnSideASSIST blind spot assist system
WABCO’s active steering technology utilizes a magnetic torque overlay to enable several new, smart features that help maximize safety, increase uptime and improve driver comfort and acceptance:
- Road crown compensation
- Wheel imbalance rejection
- Return-to-center
- Adjustable steering feel
- Side wind compensation
- Active steering damping
- Speed-dependent steering effort
WABCO OnLaneASSIST combines active steering with a forward-looking camera for active lane correction. Rather than simply warning of vehicle drift, the system applies assistive torque to the steering wheel, when necessary, to help the driver stay in the lane. Once the vehicle is again targeting the lane center, the overlay torque is released. Drivers can override the assistive steering input at any time.
Fleets also can choose to add optional video capture to the OnLaneASSIST system for increased insight to driving performance. This capability is available through the OnLane camera and affiliated SmartDrive program.
“WABCO is dedicated to helping fleets improve safety, uptime, on-time performance and driver retention through the mobilization of advanced vehicle intelligence. This exclusive new suite of technologies is engineered to meet the current requirements of today’s on-highway vehicles while also serving as a bridge to the autonomous, connected and electric vehicles of the future,” Morrison said.
