Ford pushes for Traffic Jam Assist

Traffic Jam Assist is an intelligent driving technology that Ford is developing potentially for the mid-term (2017 to 2025). It uses radar and camera technology to keep pace with other vehicles and provide automated steering control to stay in the current lane, reducing driver stress and potentially improving vehicle flow.
Individual simulation studies have found that where 25 percent of vehicles on a stretch of road are equipped to automatically follow the traffic ahead, journey times can be reduced by 37.5 percent and delays reduced by 20 percent.
Traffic Jam Assist has the potential to follow the traffic ahead while maintaining lane position in environments where there are no pedestrians, cyclists or animals, and where lanes are clearly marked.
Many of the sensing technologies required to deliver Traffic Jam Assist are already available on current Ford models including Focus, C-MAX and Grand C-MAX. Independent steering already features on Lane Keeping Aid, which provides steering input to assist the driver to steer the vehicle back into lane if an unintentional drift is detected. Lane Keeping Aid also provides the camera technology required to monitor its lane position. Traffic Jam Assist’s automatic speed regulation requirement is supported by Ford Powershift transmission as well as Adaptive Cruise Control, a radar-based system which helps to maintain a set distance to other vehicles.
Traffic Jam Assist would be able to respond to changing traffic situations ahead and communicate any developments to the driver. Traffic Jam Assist would also incorporate features to help ensure the driver remains alert and in contact with the vehicle controls, even when the system was active. It could also be overridden at any time.

Driver Assistance: Cutting edge technology fort the mass market

CESA Paper Abstract

Driver Assistance Systems have evolved dramatically during the last decade. In the early stage their use was limited due to high cost und technological restrictions in the premium segment. Today we witness a massive rollout phase into every car segment.
On the one hand this leads to higher volume on the other hand the accepted price from the customer is much lower than before without accepting too much compromises in functionality. This describes the challenge for OEMs as well as suppliers.
One approach of Volkswagen is to constantly question today’s hardware concepts concerning sensors and electronic control units (ECUs) for driver assistance systems. E.g. high cost radar sensors dominate the market for adaptive cruise control and side assistance systems. Focusing on the demand of the customers in the volume market leads to a dedicated design which is more cost effective and allows reaching low end platforms. The goal here is not to switch sensor technology completely but to find the important “minor” improvements.
Another motivation for such solutions are the new EU NCAP aims in the following years. The discussed regulations concerning pedestrian detection and active safety require very cost effective systems with the potential of added functionality. Without changing sensors and systems a functional update must enable extra benefits for the driver.
The paper will address these topics with examples from Volkswagen.

By Dr. Alexander Kirchner, DAS System Development, Volkswagen AG

eCall to become mandatory in all vehicles in 2015 in Europe

The Transport Committee in the European Parliament supported the introduction of a mandatory electronic system of emergency - the famous eCall - in all new car models as from 2015. "ECall could save lives with relatively little effort", said Dieter-Lebrecht Koch, from Germany, Vice-Chairman of the Transport Committee in the European Parliament.

Even if no passenger is able to speak, e.g. due to injuries, a "Minimum Set of Data" is sent, which includes the exact location of the crash site. Shortly after the accident, emergency services therefore know that there has been an accident, and where exactly.
eCall cuts emergency services response time. It goes down to 50% in the countryside and 60% in built-up areas. The quicker response will save hundreds of lives in the EU every year. The severity of injuries will be considerably reduced in tens of thousands of cases. You can also make an eCall by pushing a button inside the car. Witnessing an accident, you can thus report it and automatically give the precise location. As eCall normally 'sleeps', it does not allow vehicle tracking outside emergencies.

"ECall should be activated via the existing pan-European emergency number 112. This has two advantages: first, in the case of accidents, the severely injured would be given priority, and second, abuse can be prevented by the automatic recall of the rescue coordination centre", said Mr Koch. ECall can also co-exist with private emergency providers.

14th Annual All Ford Powered Car Show

On June 10th, the Greater Pittsburgh Mustang Club held their 14th Annual All Ford Powered Car Show at Shults Ford/Lincoln in Harmarville, PA. It was a beautiful day for a car show with hardly a cloud in the sky and the blue oval well represented across the board. The show has been renamed the Tom Cavataio Memorial Show in honor of GPMC longtime member Tom Cavataio who passed away in late 2011. Tom's beautiful Grabber Blue 1970 Mach 1 was prominently displayed by his family. And anyone who knew Tom, knew he shared a great passion for anything blue oval. I entered my 2009 Mustang Bullitt for the 3rd year and brought home 2nd place for 2005-current Mustangs. Here's some pictures from the event as well as a full album of pictures taken throughout the day.

Butler Cruise-A-Palooza 2012

We've been busy the past few weeks, taking in lots of car shows and other events. So sorry for our lack of postings here. Today I ventured North to Butler Pennsylvania, birthplace of the Jeep and home to American Bantam for the 18th Annual Cruise-A-Palooza put on by The Rodfathers Car Club. These are just a few of the pictures of some of the awesome customs, classics, and everything in between that was on display. A rough guess would be easily over 1000 cars in attendance. Here's a link to the full collection of pictures I took.

Automated braking systems in EuroNCAP ratings as from 2014

Euro NCAP is calling for car makers to do more to help reduce Europe's road deaths by fitting AEB (autonomous emergency braking) technology as standard to new cars. The independent safety organisation says that the industry should do more to promote the technology, which can save thousands of lives each year.
AEB systems will be included in the Euro NCAP star rating as from 2014.
Research suggests that Autonomous Emergency Braking systems can reduce accidents by up to 27%, saving around 8,000 lives and preventing many more serious injuries and whiplash claims each year. Despite this, the technology has only been made available on around 20% of new cars and many manufacturers do not offer the technology at all.

Cars 21 reports a vision for 2020

As part of the Commission's modern industrial policy, the CARS 21 (Competitive Automotive Regulatory System for the 21st century) made recommendations for 2020 to reach new heights.
It's a call for rapid progress on important subjects such as electro-mobility, road safety, market access strategy and a review of the CO2 emissions from cars and vans.
Cars 21 claims the roll out of alternative infrastructure to support new energies, standardisation issues for the breakthrough of electrical cars, the EIB financing for research, a new driving test-cycle and test procedure in order to reduce CO2 emissions, as well as ICT technologies supporting driver behaviour and road safety.
The car of 2020 should be clean, fuel-efficient, quiet, safe and connected. 

Link : http://cesa-automotive-electronics.blogspot.fr/