Automobile collision avoidance system
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The document discusses automobile collision avoidance systems and their importance in increasing road safety. It provides statistics showing the large number of traffic fatalities worldwide each year. It then describes several key collision avoidance technologies such as forward collision warning systems, automatic emergency braking, and lane departure warning. These technologies use sensors and automatic braking to detect hazards and prevent accidents. The document also analyzes patent data, finding growing research interest in forward collision avoidance technology. Major automakers are working to incorporate collision avoidance systems, which could reduce accidents by 20-40% according to some estimates.
Automobile collision avoidance system
- 1. Automobile Collision Avoidance Systems – A Life Saver Automobile Collision Avoidance Systems – A Life Saver Scope e-Knowledge Center Pvt Ltd May 2014
- 2. Automobile Collision Avoidance Systems – A Life Saver Table of Contents 1. Collision Avoidance System ...................................................................1 2. Traffic Collision – A Statistical Analysis................................................2 3. The Prevailing Technologies...................................................................4 4. The Growth in Car Crash Avoidance System ........................................5 5. Technology Trend in the Automobile Collision Avoidance System ....6 6. A Glance at the R&D ................................................................................9 7. Conclusion..............................................................................................12
- 3. Automobile Collision Avoidance Systems – A Life Saver Page # 1 1. Collision Avoidance System Since the emergence of mechanized vehicles, road safety has been a major concern and had called for attention. The automobile safety system gained increasing attention in the last three years with increasing road accidents across the world. As a result, various crash avoidance systems have originated each assuring better safety than the existing systems. The collision avoidance system, the technology a majority of cars boast today, evolved to reiterate automobile safety. It is ideal to be called a life saver as it reduces the severity of an accident, which otherwise would cost one or more lives and/or severe property damages. Estimates by the Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads have revealed that installation of collision avoidance technology could reduce 20 to 40 per cent in terms of number and severity of fatal crashes and 30 to 50 per cent of all injuries. Thus, with an aim to ensure the safety of a driver during the crash/collision, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has decided to make the pre- crash system a mandate. In a similar move, all new vehicles in Europe will have Advanced Emergency Braking Systems installed by November 2015. Today, a collision avoidance system generally has camera sensors and radars or laser to detect and warn the drivers of any danger lie ahead on the road, it could be a car, a pedestrian, a stationary object such as a pole or tree etc. Over the years, the technology has evolved with most car manufacturers focusing on the safety of their customers. Today, there are several advanced features the system accompanies, such as audio warning the driver, pre-charging of brakes, automatic partial or full braking etc, to avoid any fatalities.
- 4. Automobile Collision Avoidance Systems – A Life Saver Page # 2 2. Traffic Collision – A Statistical Analysis Traffic collision, known by different terms in various parts of the world, is an incidence of a vehicle collision, which may result in an injury and death in fatalities, with further cause to the vehicle and property. According to the “Global Status Report on Road Safety 2013” by World health Organization (WHO), more than 1.24 million people die every year due to road traffic injuries, and is the eighth leading cause of death globally. Given the current trends, it is projected to be the fifth leading cause of death globally by 2030, necessitating the law makers to implement precautionary measures to reduce the number of deaths on road. WHO-suggested five pillars that guide national road safety plans and activities: Pillar 1 Road safety management Pillar 2 Saferroads and mobility Pillar 3 Safer vehicles Pillar 4 Safer road users Pillar 5 Post-crash response Various factors contribute to the risk of collision, such as vehicle design, speed of operation, road design & environment, driver skill & behavior etc. Data from the U.S. Department of Transportation has revealed that there were 34,080 fatalities on U.S. highways and roads in 2012, a 5.3% increase from the year 2011. In addition to disability or death, vehicle collisions incur huge costs to both society and the individuals involved. In the US, the Center for Disease Control estimates the annual cost of traffic fatalities and injuries to be $99 billion. Traffic collisions can be classified by general types as Head-on Road departure Rear end Side collision Rollovers The WHO report on road safety has revealed that of all the road user types, the maximum fatalities are among car occupants.
- 5. Automobile Collision Avoidance Systems – A Life Saver Page # 3 Road traffic deaths by type of road user (World) (Courtesy WHO) According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), a non-profit scientific and educational organization based in USA, 1 in 3 fatal crashes can be avoided or mitigated if all passenger vehicles are equipped with a crash avoidance system.
- 6. Automobile Collision Avoidance Systems – A Life Saver Page # 4 3. The Prevailing Technologies Safer vehicles, one of the five pillers suggested by WHO, has a key role in controlling/avoiding road accidents. Earlier, the crash avoidance system was an option for luxurious cars, but today, it has become a common feature in the fleets. Crash avoidance technologies used in cars are built to operate vehicles safety. To ensure a vehicle is safer, various crash avoidance technologies have evolved; though they don’t operate or function similarly, the sole aim of their existence is to avoid or mitigate a crash. Below briefed are the most promiment among the today’s crash avoidance technology: Forward collision warning system – in builds an electronic system (with sensors such as such as cameras, radar or light detection and ranging (LIDAR)) to detect a vehicle or object infront and warn the driver of potential collision. This system has proved to avoid most crashes than the other technologies Lane departure warning system – features a camera that tracks the vehicle's position on the lane and alerts the driver via haptic warning signals, such as steering wheel or seat vibration, when the vehicle steers off its lane Adaptive cruise control – an in-vehicle electronic system that lets drivers specify the desired speed, based on which the sysem will control the speed of the vehicle in heavy traffic, maintaining a safe distance with the lead vehicle Automatic braking system – avoids collision by automatically applying a brake on sensing an immediate collision with a nearby vehicle Electronic stability control system (electronic stability program (ESP)/dynamic stability control (DSC)) – featuring sensors and a microcomputer, it detects and reduces the loss of traction (skidding) of a vehicle; it also applies brake automatically to stabilize the vehicle and help steer the vehicle back onto the path Blind spot monitor system – integrating sensors that monitors vehicle sides for approaching blind spots and warns the driver of any hazardous during lane changes or turning Automotive night vision system – uses infrared imaging for enhanced vision in dim lighting or poor weather conditions when headlights fail to reach drivers’ viewing distance
- 7. Automobile Collision Avoidance Systems – A Life Saver Page # 5 4. The Growth in Car Crash Avoidance System Automobile collision avoidance and safety system technology innovations started in 1960’s in the form of airbag for automobiles by General Motors. The statistics for the past six years shows that the year 2012 has recorded the maximum growth of 23%; the growth rate till April 2013 was 4%. Further, there are possibilities of publication of few more interesting innovations in the forthcoming years. Figure 1: Technology trend of automobile collision avoidance system The below table has the annual patent publication count since 2008: Publication year Patent count 2008 34 2009 35 2010 31 2011 29 2012 41 2013 (till April) 7
- 8. Automobile Collision Avoidance Systems – A Life Saver Page # 6 5. Technology Trend in the Automobile Collision Avoidance System An inhouse research was performed on April 2013 regarding “Automobile collision avoidance system” technology innovations based on the patent families published during the last five years (i.e. 2008 – 2013), wherein the first filings of those patent families were witnessed across 2001 – 2012. The research has revealed that the “forward collision warning system” technology has much scope for growth in future as the patent families first filed under this technology has contributed about 34% during the period 2001 - 2012. The Automatic braking technology is the next major focus for automobile manufacturers, with 18% of patent families first filed during 2001 – 2012, while the other prevailing technologies account for remaining 48%. Figure 2: Technology spread across eight major technologies
- 9. Automobile Collision Avoidance Systems – A Life Saver Page # 7 Technology 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 Adaptive cruise control 1 1 3 2 5 6 5 3 3 Automatic braking 1 3 4 2 4 5 4 2 6 1 Automotive night vision 3 1 1 1 Electronic stability control 2 3 2 Forward collision warning system 1 4 2 3 4 8 9 12 8 8 1 Lane departure warning 2 1 2 2 2 2 Others 1 1 2 1 2 2 3 1 2 Blind spot monitor 1 1 1 4 2 4 1 3 Table 2: Technology spread across eight major technologies While the patenting activity pertaning to the collision avoidance technology is concerned, General Motors tops the list with 18 patent families out of total 177 patent families. General Motors has published seven patent families on the automatic braking system for automobiles. Toyota holds 12 patent families under this technology with its main focus on the forward collision avoidance system. Following Toyoto, Denso corp has 11 patent families, of which five patent families are on the forward collision avoidance system technology, the company’s key focus. Below is the list of few other automobile manufacturing companies that have recorded less than 10 patent families in the collision avoidance technology. Ford Global Tech LLC Fuji Heavy Ind Ltd Hitachi Ltd Nissan Motor Honda Motor Co Ltd Volvo Car Corp Robert Bosch GMBH Caterpillar Inc Continental Teves AG & CO OHG Korea Electronics Telecomm ADC Automotive Dist Control
- 10. Automobile Collision Avoidance Systems – A Life Saver Page # 8 Daimler Chrysler AG Inst Information Industry Lucas Automotive GMBH Sarnoff Corp and Volkswagen AG An in-house statistical analysis conducted on patent publications concerning the technology has shown that all the automobile companies focus mainly on the forward collision avoidance technology, which is evident with 60 patent families contributing nearly 40% of the overall technology. The other vital technology is automatic braking with 32 patent families. Figure:3 Patenting activity of the above list of companies
- 11. Automobile Collision Avoidance Systems – A Life Saver Page # 9 6. A Glance at the R&D A number of innovations are patented under the automobile collision avoidance system; however the automobile manufacturing companies are interested in incorporating the collision avoidance technology mainly in their high-end car models. In few cases, the safety system is used as an optional for their car models as the installation costs are huge. A large number of players have their automobile collision avoidance technology in R & D phase and few others in their prototype stage. Their major focus is on cost-effective installation of these safety components in their automobile models. Below is a technology comparison of products and brands of few major players in the market working on automobile collision avoidance system. List of Car Manufactur ers Collision Avoidance Technology Lane departure warning system (brands) Forward collision warning system Adaptive cruise control (ACC) Automatic braking (brands) Electronic stability control (ESP) Blind spot monitor (brands) Automotive night vision (brands) Nissan Motors CIMA Iteris Valeo X Cima Primera T- Spec Models (partial cruise control) X Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC) Fuga Infiniti M NA Toyota Cardina Alphard Crown Majesta X Celsior Sienna Avalon Sequoia Avensis Corolla Prius (partial cruise control) X Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) or Vehicle Dynamics Integrated Manageme nt (VDIM) Camry Landcruiser Cygnus Honda Inspire X Inspire Legend Accord CR-V series III (partial cruise control) Fit/Jazz Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA) Accord Legend Citroën C4 C5 C6 NA NA X Electronic Stability Program C4 NA
- 12. Automobile Collision Avoidance Systems – A Life Saver Page # 10 List of Car Manufactur ers Collision Avoidance Technology Lane departure warning system (brands) Forward collision warning system Adaptive cruise control (ACC) Automatic braking (brands) Electronic stability control (ESP) Blind spot monitor (brands) Automotive night vision (brands) Audi Q7 X A8 A7 A6 Q7 A3 Q5 A6 Electronic Stability Program (ESP) X Audi A8 General Motors Cadillac STS DTS and Buick Lucerne NA Chevrolet- Impala NA StabiliTrak Chevrolet -Equinox Cadillac Deville BMW 5 series 6 series NA 5-series X Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) 3-series 7-series Volvo S80 V70 & XC70 executive cars X V40 S60 S80 XC60 XC70 Volvo SUVs Dynamic Stability and Traction Control (DSTC) Volvo S80 NA Mercedes- Benz E-class X S B E CLS CL A M G GL NA Electronic Stability Program (ES C350 S-class E-class Kia Motors Cadenza premium sedan NA Cadenza NA Electronic Stability Control (ESC) and Electronic Stability Program (ESP) Cadenza NA Fiat Lancia Delt NA NA NA Electronic Stability Program (ESP) and Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC) NA NA Peugeot Citroën NA NA NA Electronic Stability Program (ESP) NA NA
- 13. Automobile Collision Avoidance Systems – A Life Saver Page # 11 List of Car Manufactur ers Collision Avoidance Technology Lane departure warning system (brands) Forward collision warning system Adaptive cruise control (ACC) Automatic braking (brands) Electronic stability control (ESP) Blind spot monitor (brands) Automotive night vision (brands) Lexus LS 460 NA 2006 LS 460 2013 GS hybrid X Vehicle Dynamics Integrated Manageme nt (VDIM) with Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) ES LX 470 Ford X NA NA NA Lincoln Mercury NA Note: X - System installed in the vehicles but model of the vehicle not mentioned NA – Not Available
- 14. Automobile Collision Avoidance Systems – A Life Saver Page # 12 7. Conclusion Though vehicle safety systems were introduced in early 1960s, an alraming increase in the ratio of accidents has made auto companies to emphasize on the systems. Further, government organizations have also made a lot of study on ways to prevent road accidents or reduce fatalities. In 2010, with supports from the member state, WHO has declared 2011 - 2020 as the “Decade of Action for Road Safety”. Governments are encouraged to implement vehicle safety standards and work in collaboration with vehicle manufacturing companies to ensure that a larger proportion of fleets comply the standards. In addition, various independent assessments on the safety performance have encouraged car companies, mainly in high-income countries, to manufacture safer vehicles exceeding the standards set by the law. According to the Latin New Car Assessment Programme (NCAP) results released in November 2012, there are positive developments in the vehicle safety across the region. Hence, with the crash avoidance system becoming a common feature in all passenger vehicles not just the people inside the vehicle but those outside too will be protected.
- 15. Automobile Collision Avoidance Systems – A Life Saver Page # 13 Reference 1. http://journalistsresource.org/studies/environment/transportation/road-safety-motor-vehicle- accidents-surveying-global-us-data# 2. http://www.answers.com/topic/collision-avoidance-systems 3. http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/news/2013/04/study-reveals-which-car-crash-avoidance- technology-can-be-a-proven-lifesaver/index.htm 4. http://phys.org/news/2012-07-crash-avoidance.html