Ford cars to gain prang-preventing radar rigs
A hit. A very palpable hit.
Ford is to build radar into some of next year's cars in order to prevent (hopefully) drivers bumping into things.
Dubbed "Collision Warning with Brake Support", the system sends out radio waves. If a rebounding signal reveals that the relative speeds of the car and the object in front indicate an impact, a buzzer sounds in the cabin to alert the driver.
It also shines a red light on the windscreen.
And if Joe Sixpack ignores these warnings? Ford's mechanism initiates "brake support", which readies the brakes so that the impact of the driver slamming the pedal doesn't end in a screeching skid, the thud of a bumper thump and the tinkle of shattered indicator-light housing.
So says Ford, which is keeping quiet about precisely how the brake support system works.
The notion behind Ford's system, which will debut in the US, isn't new, but the motor manufacturer claimed it was the first of its kind to be installed in mass-market autos.
The radar will also be used to adjust the speed of vehicles set to cruise control, to ensure they slow to stay a safe distance behind the car in front, Ford said. The system doesn't just look ahead - it also watches out for vehicles entering the driver's blind spot. That's handy, we'd say, given our experience of US drivers' attitude to lane discipline.
More likely, though, it'll be used to allow motorists to reverse out of parking bays more safely.
Earlier this week, Ford also said it was introducing 'smart keys' which can be programmed by parents to prevent the car from allowing their teenage offspring to drive too fast, not wear seatbelts and jack up the volume of the hi-fi.
It's not yet clear if it also prevents them from making out in the back.
COMMENTS
Make mandatory in reps cars
Huzzah !!!
tech comes down market
Pls fit in all reps Mondeos
and while we are at it -all Audis and BMW
which I always find welded to by bumper on the M25
as they weave in and out of traffic to gain another 30 feet.
I also want rear mounted paint guns, could any chop shop make them for me?
Adaptive Cruise Control
Jags have had adaptive cruise control for years... at least 2 (maybe even 3) years that I know of (having worked in a Jaguar dealership) in the old shape XK. Now, remind me again, who, until very recently, owned Jaguar? ;-)
Ford Radar
"Funny that, because the above functionality (inhibit when going around a corner) was how the system was described to me by the senior engineer at Ford responsible for running a recent major vehicle programme (or three) incorporating this feature."
Could be. S/He was probably talking about the Jaguar system. Curves can be an issue, as Mr. McIntyre points out with the BMW. Usually the system use information from the stability control to tell you that you are in a curve, and the radius of the curve. This lets it know which vehicles are in its lane and which aren't. Unfortunately, you only get this information when you're actually in the curve, and not before it.
However, there are ways to minimize this effect.
Besides, they (OEMs) don't make them, we (suppliers) do.
In any case, most systems do not turn off in a curve.
A couple of other asides:
- The picture of the Ford vehicle is a Flex, and not a Mini.
- Volvo is using lidar, not radar.
- Some OEMs use 24GHz, which is the same frequency as police radar in the States. Some radar detectors will pick this up. Lidar being used in some systems will be picked up by some lidar detectors as well. Heck, even LED brakelights set off some lidar detectors. Don't speed, and it's not an issue.
- Some use 77GHz, which is not an issue.
- Good luck trying to use the 24GHz as a police radar jamming device. Let me know how that turns out for you.
- My first boss suggested spikes on the steering wheel 20 years ago. It's still a good idea, but remember, people still get in accidents just sitting in traffic, minding their own business.
- With the way we have all seen people driving, FLYING CARS ARE A BAD IDEA. I still want one.
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