Ford Motor Company will introduce an industry-first Roll Stability ControlÔ (RSCÔ ) technology on several of its sport utility vehicles
Ford Motor Company's new RSCÔ system offers added assistance to the driver in maintaining vehicle control during extreme maneuvers if a rollover is likely.
Ford's RSCÔ technology is an active stability enhancement system that significantly builds upon existing yaw stability control systems in the market today. The RSCÔ system continuously calculates if the vehicle may be approaching a situation where rollover is probable and takes action to help prevent rollover. Ford is the first automaker to develop and patent a new Roll Stability ControlÔ system. Ford's new RSCÔ feature first debuted on the 2003 Volvo XC90.
In Ford's RSCÔ system, a gyroscopic sensor is included that determines the vehicle's body roll angle and roll rate. Along with Ford developed algorithms embedded in advanced software, this information is used with other vehicle sensors' inertial information including yaw rate, lateral and longitudinal accelerations to monitor the vehicle's roll stability condition approximately 150 times per second. If the vehicle approaches an unstable situation, the vehicle's RSCÔ system is activated: engine power is reduced and/or the brakes are applied to one or more of the wheels as necessary to help regain vehicle stability.
Hella production headlamp with white LEDs : World premiere
The world's first series application of white LEDs in a headlamp has been realized by Hella for the new Audi A8 W12. By the year 2010, these economical, long-life and extremely powerful light sources will equip dipped beam, main beam and fog lamps.
The new Audi A8 W12 has combined position and daytime running light : Five white high-power LEDs per headlamp. In both the daytime running light mode and the dimmed position light mode at night, they give the top A8 model an absolutely unmistakeable appearance. The light colour of the LEDs is the same as that of the xenon light which provides optimum road illumination via the bi-xenon module. In addition, a cornering light ensures more safety when turning at junctions or driving through tight bends.
Euro NCAP announces New Child Protection Rating and the Latest Test Results
Euro NCAP announces the results for the Renault Scenic and VW's Touran, both cars achieving the coveted five stars for occupant protection in Europe's leading independent crash tests. Also announced are the results for the first 8 cars tested to the new child protection rating. The Ford C-MAX is the first car to be awarded four stars for protecting child passengers.
Apart from Audi and Mazda, all of the manufacturers have met the requirements of Euro NCAP's new seat belt reminder protocol. Euro NCAP's star rating is based on occupants being 'belted', thus seat belt reminder systems are vitally important.
Max Mosley, Euro NCAP Chairman and FIA President said, "The latest cars tested by Euro NCAP demonstrate very high levels of occupant safety, giving Europe's car buyers a wider range of safer models than ever before. Unfortunately, whilst occupant protection continues to improve the number of manufactures scoring only one or two stars for pedestrian protection is still very disappointing. Euro NCAP urges all manufacturers to redouble their efforts in addressing pedestrian safety.
SEAT is exhibiting cutting-edge technology in the Alhambra ADAS prototype at the 10th World Congress of Intelligent Transport Systems and Services (SIT), held at Madrid's IFEMA congress centre.
Comfort and safety are intensified on the Alhambra ADAS, which features Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) and excess speed correction through traffic signal and road marking recognition. It is also equipped with an intelligent headlamp system, whose adaptive lightbulbs regulate beam intensity depending on road conditions.
The ACC comfort system automatically adjusts the vehicle's cruising speed. It detects other vehicles in its path through sensors mounted in the headlamps, instead of the current radar, and maintains a safe distance by activating the brake and accelerator pedals.
This prototype also includes the Stop&Go function, which complements the ACC system at low speeds (0-40 km/h), and stops the car automatically when stationary vehicles are detected. Another function is traffic signal detection through radio frequency. The vehicle receives information regarding the speed limit, alerts the driver and adapts the car's speed. A fourth system detects road marking with an image processing camera. An electronic unit calculates the distance between the car and the road marking, and a warning sound or steering wheel vibration alert the driver if he drives off-course.
One of the main advantages of these systems is their ability to steer in tight bends although the car in front is outside the sensor's visibility range. This is achieved with a predictive navigation system which relies on a database complementary to the conventional navigation system, which includes a series of parameters such as the latitude and longitude of several reference points on the pavement and the curve radius of each section, and the vehicle's dynamics data. The resulting information regulates speed according to the predicted vehicle course.
Valeo signs exclusive agreement with Iteris for lane departure warning systems for cars
Valeo announced that it has signed a co-operative agreement with Iteris to exclusively manufacture and market camera-based lane departure warning systems for light vehicles worldwide. This follows a two-year joint development of the system. If the system enters volume production in 2004 in North America as anticipated it will be a world first.
Under the terms of the Agreement, Valeo will take full responsibility for the manufacture and marketing of lane departure warning systems for the light vehicle market worldwide, including the aftermarket.
"This Agreement is a good example of how Valeo continues to pursue its strategy of acquiring complementary technologies in order to rapidly develop and market new systems that have significant growth potential. This system is expected to contribute to enhanced road safety, especially when linked to other driver assisted systems," said Thierry Morin, Valeo Chairman & Chief Executive Officer.
A typical lane departure warning system developed with Iteris consists of a miniature windscreen-mounted video sensor that uses proprietary software algorithms to continuously monitor the lane markings in front of the car. During unintentional lane departures, the system informs the driver allowing corrective actions to be taken. Specific system behavior can be tailored to the requirements of each customer.
Ford Motor Company will introduce an industry-first Roll Stability ControlÔ (RSCÔ ) technology on several of its sport utility vehicles
Euro NCAP announces the results for the Renault Scenic and VW's Touran, both cars achieving the coveted five stars for occupant protection in Europe's leading independent crash tests. Also announced are the results for the first 8 cars tested to the new child protection rating. The Ford C-MAX is the first car to be awarded four stars for protecting child passengers.
SEAT is exhibiting cutting-edge technology in the Alhambra ADAS prototype at the 10th World Congress of Intelligent Transport Systems and Services (SIT), held at Madrid's IFEMA congress centre.