Mercedes 2001 Annual Report Download - page 28

24 The “Vision of Accident-free Driving”
Many minor accidents in inner-city traffic are also
avoidable. Relief from stress in this complex environ-
ment and in bumper-to-bumper traffic is provided by
the City Assistant: Vehicles fitted with this system can
follow the car in front at a previously selected distance
under normal conditions. It can help to identify stop
signs, traffic lights, moving objects and pedestrians:
Several recognition modules operating in parallel ana-
lyze the characteristic shapes and image sequences
with the results being conveyed to the driver or directly
to the brake and steering systems or the cruise control
unit.
With the Lane-change Assistant, displays in the ex-
terior mirror warn the driver when detected overtaking
vehicles are in his or her ‘blind spot.’ For this purpose,
video cameras are fitted behind the rear-view mirror
and on the vehicle exterior; the images they provide are
analyzed in real-time.
Engineers are investigating how the driver’s
peripheral field of vision can be improved with the
Bubble-top Car. Human beings process 90% of all infor-
mation visually. A Mercedes-Benz CLK convertible
fitted with a glass bubble roof is helping researchers to
analyze how often and for how long a driver fixes his
or her gaze in a particular direction, and to use this
information for example to optimize the contours of the
A-pillars or in developing new vehicle concepts.
In the future, the PRE-SAFE occupant-protection
concept from Mercedes-Benz can help reduce injury
risk in certain critical situations. The protective systems,
such as seat belt pretensioners, react within a matter of
milliseconds; the human recognition phase, on the other
hand, is in the order of seconds. Taking advantage of
this reduction in time will open up a new dimension in
vehicle-occupant protection. Thus, PRE-SAFE may acti-
vate special protective systems such as seat belt pre-
tensioners and automatically adjustable seats in certain
critical situations. If no accident occurs, all systems
return to their original status. Extendable bumpers,
deployable crash boxes or movable interior elements
are also being researched. The system is analogous to
nature: a falling cat will turn in flight so as to assume
the most favorable position on landing.
Infinite possiblities. Driver-assistance systems will be
even more efficient once they are capable of processing
and transmitting location based data. The telematic
control complex PASS (Position Aware Safety Systems),
currently being researched, uses an automated
The CLK convertible
with a glass bubble roof
is used to investigate
vision requirements
when driving. The test
drivers’ viewing behavior
can be analyzed with a
variety of simulated
A columns.
Pedestrians are recognized from
their typical leg movements.
The system uses picture sequences
for identification.