Toyota develops technology to prevent accidental collisions caused by accidentally pressing the accelerator while braking

At a safety technology briefing held in mid-November 2012, Toyota unveiled a function that can prevent collisions with walls, etc. caused by accidentally stepping on the accelerator.

Mazda plans to use a similar system in the "ATENZA" scheduled to be released in late November 2012, and Nissan plans to use a similar system in the "Grand Prix" scheduled to be released in late 2012. The difference between Toyota's technology and those of these two companies is that it uses a function that can prevent not only front collisions but also rear collisions, and a function that prevents acceleration when shifting the wrong gear. Toyota will use this technology in a new model scheduled to be released soon, which is expected to be the next-generation "Crown".

The function to prevent front and rear collisions is the Intelligent Clearance Sonar (ICS). When the accelerator pedal is mistakenly pressed as the brake pedal in a parking lot, this function will reduce the engine output and automatically apply the brakes before a collision (Figure 1). Two ultrasonic sensors are installed at the front and rear of the vehicle to detect obstacles, and the brakes are released after the vehicle stops for 2 seconds.

The function to prevent acceleration when shifting the wrong gear is called Drive Start Control (DSC). The accidents that can be prevented include the driver accidentally pressing the accelerator when reversing and colliding with the wall behind, and then in a panic shifting the gear lever from "R gear (reverse gear)" to "D gear (drive gear)", causing the vehicle to start rapidly and collide with the front (Figure 2). When moving forward, the engine output can be reduced to control the speed to 10-20km/h. "There are many types of accidents that can be dealt with" (Toyota).

Figure 1: No collision will occur if the accelerator is pressed accidentally when reversing

Figure 2: Even if you shift into D gear (Drive gear) in a panic after hitting an obstacle behind you, the vehicle will not accelerate forward