Mercedes 2001 Annual Report Download - page 26

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22 The “Vision of Accident-free Driving”
Pioneers in safety.
DaimlerChrysler is an innovator in
automotive safety research and increasingly employs
assistance systems which help drivers recognize haz-
ardous situations. Mercedes-Benz engineers are now
working on new intelligent systems which will enhance
active and passive safety even further.
At DaimlerChrysler, safety has consistently been
accorded utmost priority from the earliest days of
the company’s history. The first safety features were
developed by Mercedes-Benz as early as 1939. The
safety cell with crumple zones in the front and in the
rear of a car as well as improved restrained systems
like automatic seat belts, seat belt pretensioners and
airbags have long been standard equipment for many
of its passenger vehicles. For decades, the company has
enhanced the concepts of “passive safety” for mitigat-
ing the consequences of an accident and “active safety”
for accident prevention. As early as the seventies, pat-
tern recognition – the multidimensional recognitition
and interpretation of objects by computer – was a
major focus of research at Mercedes-Benz. Advances
in brake technology paved the way for the anti-lock
braking system (ABS) in 1978: For the first time, sen-
sors were used to monitor the rotation of each wheel
and control brake pressure accordingly. This was fol-
lowed by inventions such as acceleration skid control
(ASR), brake assist, and the electronic stability program
(ESP). Today, DaimlerChrysler is committed to a holistic
safety concept. Active safety in particular still offers
considerable potential.
The “Vision of Accident-free Driving” today.
DaimlerChrysler already offers driver-assistance sys-
tems that help increase safety in many of its production
passenger cars and commercial vehicles. Crucial stop-
ping distance can be wasted if drivers fail to apply suf-
ficient pressure to the brake pedal in critical situations.
Brake Assist recognizes a hazardous situation on the
basis of how quickly the driver depresses the pedal,
and immediately applies full braking pressure.
Skidding is another critical factor. Sooner than
even the most experienced driver, the Electronic Stabil-
ity Program (ESP) recognizes when a vehicle is tending
to skid. The system then intervenes to help stabilize
the vehicle by issuing precisely-metered braking
impulses or by reducing engine output. ESP therefore
helps unite the functions of other driving dynamics
regulation systems such as brake assist, the anti-lock
braking system (ABS) and acceleration skid control
(ASR).
Sensotronic Brake Control (SBC) is an electronic
system that also helps stabilize vehicles and reduces
braking distances. SBC transmits the driver’s braking
commands to a microcomputer which calculates the
optimum brake force for each wheel. Maximum brake
force is applied more rapidly thanks to a high-pressure
reservoir and electronically controlled valves.
The electronic brake system encompasses other
valuable features such as the dry braking function
which eliminates the film of water which forms on the
brake disks during wet weather, and the new soft-stop
function which allows more gentle stopping in inner-
city driving.
The stereo-vision camera is the
sensor for the City Assistant.
The picture of the surroundings
must be passed on in high definition
to image processing for instant
evaluation.
DaimlerChrysler is committed to a total safety concept