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New
York, NY – The 2005 New York auto show will set
the stage for the North American debut of the new Volvo Cars S60
safety simulator. The simulator displays new safety features that
contribute to safer and more relaxed driving.
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Occupying a large free-standing
display, the S60 safety simulator is a full motion simulator
utilizing high-definition graphics and recreated ultra-realistic
driving situations. Drivers are prompted to fasten their
seatbelts, start the car, and even place the vehicle in
"Drive" before getting underway. The car responds to
driver input by pitching and diving during acceleration and
braking. The road ahead is displayed on a high-definition screen
with motion that is matched to the vehicle's speed.
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Throughout the six-minute
experience, the driver is placed in situations that highlight
Volvo's safety systems. For instance, if the driver chooses to
pass in an unsafe manner, Emergency Lane Assist steps in to help
direct the S60 back into the appropriate lane. Other situations
experienced by the driver center on Volvo's Blind Spot Information
System (BLIS) and Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC).
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With these latest developments,
Volvo is cementing its leadership position among safety-conscious
car manufacturers. A key component to this objective is that every
new Volvo model should represent clear progress in protecting the
car’s occupants. This has been demonstrated consistently in
recent years with innovative solutions that enhance safety in a
collision, for instance in the Volvo XC90, Volvo S40 and Volvo
V50. However, in order to retain its lead in vehicle safety from a
holistic perspective, Volvo Cars has also intensified its focus on
systems that predict and prevent accidents.
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The protection of people and
property is another Volvo concern and is an important part of a
comprehensive approach to safety. “Preventing accidents and
reducing the number of injuries and fatalities in traffic are both
high on the agenda of an increasing number of countries,"
said Ingrid Skogsmo, Director of the Volvo Cars Safety Center.
"We see everything from so-called zero-limits in Sweden and
the Netherlands to national goals of between 30 and 50 percent
fewer accidents over the coming ten-year period. As a leading
company in the field of car safety, Volvo must naturally play an
active part in working toward these goals. However, the car is
only one of many factors. Making traffic even safer requires an
over-riding grasp of the infrastructure and research into driver
behavior. There are many of us who share responsibility here and
who must work together on these issues.”
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More intensive traffic environments
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A
lot has happened since the car was born more than a century ago.
Traffic is heavier, speeds are far higher and the car has become
far more technically advanced. Man, on the other hand, has not
changed at the same fast rate. The swift pace of development in
information technology and the emergence of highly efficient and
compact electronics have opened the door to entirely new
opportunities in preventive safety.
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The basic idea is to create a car
that helps the driver notice potentially dangerous situations
ahead of time. Ultimately, a car should think and respond faster
than the driver does in these critical instances. In recent years,
Volvo Cars has presented a number of systems for this purpose. The
advanced Volvo Safety Concept Car (SCC) that was unveiled at the
Detroit Auto Show in 2001 is a benchmark vehicle in terms of
future safety systems and innovations. Today, more than half of
the 50 or so safety solutions displayed in the Volvo SCC are
already integrated into existing cars or planned for inclusion in
forthcoming models.
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Man’s ability in focus
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One
of the greatest challenges is to coordinate all these
sophisticated systems so that they offer the greatest possible
benefit. The driver must receive the right information at the
right time – without being distracted by irrelevant information
in stressful situations.
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Most of the functions in today’s
Volvo cars are already controlled electronically, and the various
systems communicate with each other via a sophisticated network.
Volvo has developed IDIS – Intelligent Driver Information System
– which was introduced as a world-first in the new Volvo S40 in
2003.
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IDIS continuously monitors certain
functions in the car, such as steering wheel movement, throttle
activity, the use of the turn signal indicator and the degree of
braking. This information is processed and at a given level of
activity, information that is not crucial to safety – such as a
burned out bulb indicator – is delayed until the situation is
resolved.
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The focus on the car is only the first step
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In
the future, IDIS will be incorporated into a more comprehensive
information system that can keep track of a vast amount of
information in the car. The aim is to further reduce the
driver’s stress and to make driving easier. The systems and
functions currently being developed and presented focus on the
driver’s situation based on three main perspectives: the car,
the traffic situation and the human being.
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Focus on the traffic situation
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For
more comprehensive assessment of the driving situation and in
order to provide the driver with assistance in certain cases,
Volvo Cars has developed a number of advanced functions that
monitor the traffic outside the car.
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Large
windows and effective rear-view mirrors generally provide good
all-round vision. Back in 1979, Volvo was the first automaker to
fit a wide-angle mirror on the driver’s side to further improve
offset rear visibility. BLIS goes one step further by using a
camera in each rear-view mirror to monitor the area alongside and
offset behind the car.
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When
another vehicle enters the monitored zone, a lamp comes on in the
relevant mirror. The driver gets a clear indication that there is
another vehicle in the blind spot and can keep away. The system
provides information about cars approaching from the rear and also
vehicles in front that the driver is currently overtaking. This
information gives the driver added scope for making the right
decision in such situations. Both sides are monitored in the same
way.
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Today’s
cruise control system contributes to calm, relaxed cruising under
favorable conditions. However, the rhythm of modern traffic does
not always allow continual use of the system.
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In order to contribute to increased
comfort and driver control in uneven traffic flow and heavy
congestion, Volvo has developed a system called Adaptive Cruise
Control. Using a radar sensor, the system continuously monitors
the distance to the vehicle in front and automatically adjusts the
car’s speed to maintain a safe distance.
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The driver activates Adaptive Cruise
Control by keying in the required maximum speed and selecting the
minimum time gap to the vehicle ahead. This time gap can be varied
from one to three seconds. A gap of two seconds, for instance,
means a safety distance of almost 200 feet at 60 mph. This distance
shrinks as speed decreases, and is about 130 feet at 43 mph.
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The system adapts automatically when
an overtaking vehicle enters the lane in front of the driver and
maintains the preset distance. In a car with an automatic
transmission, Adaptive Cruise Control can keep pace with the flow
of traffic all the way to a complete standstill.
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Rear-end
impacts and collisions involving stationary vehicles are both
common accident scenarios. In many such cases, the cause of the
accident is driver distraction and failure to react in time.
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Volvo has developed an advanced
system of auxiliary functions that help the driver avoid such
accidents or minimize the effects of a collision should one occur.
This is done by reducing the total stopping distance.
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The area in front of the car is
continuously monitored with the help of a radar sensor. The system
is activated in different ways at different stages of the
sequence. If the car approaches an obstacle (stationary or moving)
and the driver does not react, a warning lamp comes on and is
reflected in the windscreen. At the same time, an audible buzzer
sounds. In certain situations, this is sufficient to catch the
driver’s attention and avoid the hazard.
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The system monitors pedal pressure
when the driver brakes. If the pressure is assessed as being too
light for the car to be able to stop in time, the system steps in
and increases braking power. If the vehicle's speed is not too
high, this brake boosting function can help avoid a collision.
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If, on the other hand, the driver
does not react at all, a brake function is automatically activated
to build up higher braking pressure and slow down the car. It may
not be possible to avoid a collision, but the main purpose here is
to reduce speed and the risk of severe consequences.
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To provide this automatic braking
function, the radar system is supplemented with a forward-sensing
wide-angle camera fitted in front of the interior rear-view
mirror.
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Many
accidents in which cars drive off the road take place in
relatively good traffic and weather conditions, often because the
driver loses concentration for one reason or another. Volvo Cars
is developing a series of functions that help the driver in such
situations:
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1. Lane Departure Warning uses a
camera in the rear-view mirror to continuously monitor the road
and keep track of where the car is in relation to the lane
markings. If the driver loses concentration and the wheels move
outside the lane markings, a warning buzzer alerts the driver, and
this is often sufficient to get him or her to react.
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2. Lane Keeping Aid goes one step
further. In addition to the audible signal, the system actually
steps in and helps steer the car back on course. This steering
capability is relatively limited. The aim is not to take over the
steering. Instead, the maneuver is usually sufficient to help the
driver take action to keep the vehicle within the current lane.
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Lane Departure Warning and Lane
Keeping Aid are switched off when speed is below 43 mph so they do
not interfere in urban conditions when deliberate lane changes
take place all the time. The functions can also be switched off
manually.
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3. The third function, Emergency
Lane Assist, is a world breakthrough. Using both camera and radar,
Emergency Lane Assist can also monitor oncoming vehicles. If the
driver crosses the lane markers and does not respond to the
buzzer, the system reacts by applying additional steering force to
help steer back into the intended lane. This function is active at
all speeds.
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Focus on the human being
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No
matter how safe the car is and how well the traffic situation can
be controlled, safety is still always dependent on the human being
– the driver – staying alert and taking the right decision at
all times. And nobody is perfect.
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That is why Volvo Cars has developed
an advanced assistant for the driver – the Volvo CoDriver. Volvo
CoDriver is an intelligent assistant that coordinates information
from the car’s various systems and functions, studies the
traffic situation and assists the driver in a number of ways.
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What is more, Volvo CoDriver will
attempt to sense if the driver is not at his or her best owing to
tiredness or stress, for instance, and can alert him or her to
this fact. If necessary, the system also steps in and reduces the
burden on the driver by tailoring incoming information and
activating the relevant help functions. Volvo CoDriver thus helps
give the driver added margins and makes driving that much safer.
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