Mercedes-Benz develops blind spot assistance system for heavy trucks

    According to statistics, the most common and serious accident when heavy trucks are turning is the collision with objects in the blind spot. In order to solve the above problems, Mercedes-Benz recently announced the launch of a blind spot assistance system for its heavy trucks. The system uses a radar sensor to monitor the blind spot at the co-pilot position of the vehicle in real time. The system can effectively remind the driver to avoid danger when the vehicle's turning conditions are not ideal.

    The blind spot assist system launched by Mercedes-Benz this time is designed with the elongated blind spot boundary curve of the semi-trailer in mind. Therefore, when the vehicle turns and encounters immovable obstacles such as traffic lights and street lights, the system can still work normally to remind the driver of the danger. At the same time, the system can still work normally when the vehicle changes lanes.

    Sven Ennerst, Head of Global Product Engineering and Purchasing at Daimler Trucks, said: “From a technical point of view, the development of Blind Spot Assist is already complete. At Daimler Trucks, we have long been aware of the potential dangers of blind spot collisions when turning trucks. Although we have developed Blind Spot Assist, we first need to test and validate the system extensively before we can bring it to market. This means that we need to test the system for tens of thousands of kilometers and apply it to a variety of different vehicle models. Especially when it comes to vehicle safety, people always expect technology leaders in the industry to create trend-setting solutions. As a leader in the industry, Daimler Trucks takes vehicle safety as a top priority.”

    The blind spot assist system uses a radar sensor that is installed in front of the rear axle of the vehicle on the passenger side. The system is designed to effectively monitor the blind spots of semi-trailers, trucks and even trailers. In this Mercedes-Benz blind spot assist system, the effective monitoring range is designed to exceed the truck's blind spot and extend to two meters in front of the truck.

    When the vehicle's steering system detects an obstacle, the system will notify the driver of the obstacle. If the driver fails to make changes in time and continues driving, the system will warn the driver when it detects a potential risk of collision.

Visual Alarm

    If the system detects a moving object in the blind spot detection area, the system will visually alert the driver through an LED light. The LED light is located on the A-pillar on the co-pilot side of the vehicle, at the same height as the driver's eyes, and its flashing pattern is triangular. Through this LED warning light, the driver's attention will naturally be focused on the blind spot area along the direction of the vehicle. If the system finds a potential risk of collision, it will issue another form of light signal accompanied by an audible warning. At this time, the LED light will flash red several times, and a buzzer alarm will sound on the side of the vehicle where the potential danger may occur.

    If the system detects immovable obstacles such as traffic lights and street lights in the blind spot detection area, the system will also issue visual and audible warnings.

    At the same time, the system can also guarantee normal operation at any speed and achieve a comprehensive support level. That is to say, whether the vehicle is stationary (which is possible when the vehicle is at a traffic intersection) or at maximum speed, the system can function normally.

    Mercedes-Benz, as the originator of the automobile industry, has always maintained its position as an industry leader in truck safety systems. Mercedes-Benz launched the ABS anti-lock braking system in 1981, the ASR acceleration anti-skid control system in 1985, the EBS electronic braking system and roll control system in 1996, the adaptive cruise control system and lane assist system in 2000, the body stability control system in 2001, the brake assist system in 2002, and the active brake assist system in 2006.

    The research background of the blind spot assist system launched by Mercedes-Benz this time is based on a large number of traffic accident surveys and corresponding technical research and development requirements. When a Mercedes-Benz truck has an accident, Mercedes-Benz will send a special accident recording vehicle to record the event and analyze every detail of the accident.

    After so many years of development and accumulation, the accident case database within Mercedes-Benz has grown to a certain scale. And the database is stored in a database within Mercedes-Benz. Up to now, the number of accident cases recorded in the database has exceeded 12,000. Among these accident cases, about 4,300 accidents have been recorded in detail, and another 4,200 minor accidents have been recorded. The above accident cases are recorded using the Mercedes-Benz CharterWay series customized service. The above complex accident investigation records and documents are the cornerstones for Mercedes-Benz to launch its emerging safety technologies in the automotive market. The launch of the above blind spot assistance system is inseparable from the analysis and utilization of the above accident case database.

Truck accident fatalities fall

    Although the volume of road traffic in the United States has increased significantly, the number of injuries and even deaths caused by truck accidents is decreasing dramatically. Germany has increased its road traffic volume by about 80% in the past 20 years. However, the number of injuries caused by road traffic accidents has decreased by more than 44%, and the number of deaths has decreased by more than 56%. Since 2000, trucks have been equipped with driver assistance systems such as stability control assist and sensor control assist, and the number of casualties in truck accidents has decreased dramatically since then.

    At present, modern driver assistance systems equipped on trucks can effectively prevent or mitigate accidents such as trucks running off the road or rear-end collisions, or issue warnings of accidents. The truck blind spot assistance system launched by Mercedes-Benz is a new generation of automotive driving assistance technology, which mainly solves the problem of accidents when trucks are turning.

    Usually, truck drivers can observe the situation on the co-pilot side of the vehicle by adjusting the exterior rearview mirror on the co-pilot side of the vehicle. However, if pedestrians or cyclists enter the vehicle's driving lane while the driver is checking the situation in front of and to the left of the vehicle, the driver is likely to ignore the presence of pedestrians around the vehicle. At the same time, when the weather conditions are poor and visibility is low or the line of sight is blocked due to time reasons, the probability of a traffic accident caused by a vehicle turning will be greatly increased. In addition, as traffic conditions at intersections become more and more crowded and complex, drivers are likely to be unable to fully concentrate, and the probability of a traffic accident caused by a vehicle turning will also be greatly increased.

    The death rate from truck-turning collisions with pedestrians or cyclists varies widely between regions, ranging from 20% in urban areas to 10%-15% in rural areas.

    The collision point of such trucks when turning is usually concentrated on the co-pilot side of the vehicle, which is also the first collision point in more than 50% of truck accidents.

    Mercedes-Benz launched the truck blind spot assist system not only for its own technological development needs, but also for consumer feedback. The launch of this system can save many lives. The German Insurance Association recently predicted that the launch of this system will prevent about 50% of truck accidents. At the same time, it also believes that the launch of this system can effectively reduce the number of deaths in related truck accidents by about one-third.