Volvo’s new safety systems keep the driver on course

Volvo Trucks has a long tradition of pursuing the development of safety systems for heavy trucks. Over the years, the company has achieved a number of pioneering breakthroughs, such as the introduction of the safety cab, the fitting of seat belts as standard, the deformable steering wheel and much more.

These developments have contributed to the fact that since 2001, fatal accidents on the European road network have dropped by about 20 per cent, although the EU target is to halve this figure by 2010. One way of reducing risks in traffic is to integrate accident-preventive active safety systems into the vehicles themselves, so coinciding neatly with the EU’s Road Safety Day on April 27th, Volvo Trucks is introducing two such systems, Lane Keeping Support and Adaptive Cruise Control.

“The fast pace of technological development these past few years has created entirely new opportunities when it comes to accident-preventive safety,” says Claes Avedal, who heads the accident research at Volvo Trucks. “One good example is the implementation of the active stability-enhancing program, ESP, one of the most important advances in this area. With our new systems, we are taking yet another step in the right direction.”

Lane Keeping Support alerts with precision

Activated at 60 kph, Lane Keeping Support (LKS) is a system which continuously monitors the lane marker lines and alerts the driver with an audible signal if the vehicle is unintentionally about to stray from its lane.

“Situations where the truck leaves its current lane for one reason or another are behind a large proportion of all truck accidents and is also the most common reason for frontal collisions with other vehicles,” explains Claes Avedal. “Using this system can now significantly reduce the risk of lane changing accidents.”

“We had a prototype ready back in 2004 and now, after a comprehensive series of tests to ensure the system’s functionality, we’re ready to launch it on the market,” says Jenny Blomqvist, product manager for in-cab electronics at Volvo Trucks. “This type of system should be regarded as assistance for the driver and should under no circumstances be perceived as causing irritation. For example, it is important that the system never gives false warnings for roadside fences, lamp-posts or irregularities in the road surface. It should also be easy for the driver to handle and understand, so that is why we’ve invested immense resources in developing a system that offers truly high precision and excellent functionality.”

Camera in the windscreen

LKS consists of a position sensor (i.e. a camera and accompanying control unit that reads off the road markings) and a computer that registers whether the truck is about to stray from its current lane. The camera is installed at the upper edge of the windscreen, the control unit is fitted in the radio shelf and the computer is located behind the passenger seat.

When the computer registers that the vehicle is unintentionally about to cross a road marking, an audible signal – similar to that heard when driving on a ridged or serrated road-edge marker line - is activated in the cab. However, if the driver has already activated his indicators or brakes, then no signal is produced. The driver can decide for himself if the system is to be switched on by pressing a button in the instrument panel and an icon in the main instrument lights up.

ACC with greater braking force and improved radar function

As well as launching LKS, Volvo is also presenting a new generation of ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control), in which the wheel brakes have now been integrated into the system.

“The big difference between this generation and the previous one is primarily that you get far more braking force and more uniform braking,” explains Jenny Blomqvist.

Even the radar system that monitors the gap to the vehicle in front has been further enhanced to provide greater precision and reliability. The new ACC system is also developed to function optimally together with I-Shift, Volvo’s industry-leading automated gear changing system. ACC is above all a comfort-boosting facility where the cruise control and brakes help the driver maintain a steady speed and smooth rhythm on the road. In combination with I-Shift, progress is gentle and comfortable.

Lane Keeping Support will be available on the Volvo FH and FH16, while Adaptive Cruise Control will be available on all Volvo FM, FH and FH16 models with I-Shift.

Delivery of both systems will start this autumn.