Mercedes 2012 Annual Report Download - page 160

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5 | Sustainability | Innovation, Safety and the Environment
The new “Active Brake Assist 3” now independently applies the full brakes if a stationary object is detected ahead.
Assist and the new BAS PLUS system with an intersection
assistance function. The Adaptive Highbeam Assist PLUS system
enables drivers to keep their high beams switched on contin-
uously without blinding the drivers of other vehicles, which are
kept out of the light cone. The new Traffic Sign Assist system
now recognizes no-passing zones and can also alert drivers
to road access restrictions. All of these new systems are based
on an intelligent combination of multistage radar sensors and
a new stereo camera whose two “eyes” enable it to monitor
an area extending approximately 50 meters in front of the vehicle
in 3D. The system can also maintain an overall view up to a
distance of 500 meters ahead. The data provided by the camera
is further processed by various systems with the help of intel-
ligent algorithms that analyze the information. As a result, the
system can detect and spatially localize oncoming vehicles,
vehicles ahead and vehicles coming from the side. It can also
recognize pedestrians, various types of traffic signs and
road markings. Due to the simultaneous determination of posi-
tion (three dimensions) and directional movement (an addi-
tional three dimensions) the system has been named “6D vision.”
An airbag for seatbelts. The Beltbag is another innovation
being launched with the new S-Class as standard equipment.
The device – an inflatable seatbelt strap – can reduce the risk
of injury to back-seat passengers in a head-on collision by
lowering the strain placed on the rib cage. Once crash sensors
detect a severe frontal impact, the airbag control unit triggers
the inflation of the Beltbag. A gas generator then expands
the multilayered belt strap with tear seams to as much as three
times its normal width. The resulting larger surface area
can better distribute the force acting on the occupants, thereby
reducing the risk of injury.
Even greater safety in Mercedes-Benz trucks. Although
the Mercedes-Benz Actros is already considered the world’s
safest truck, both it and the new Mercedes-Benz Antos for
distribution transportation are now becoming even safer, thanks
to the next generation of the unique Active Brake Assist 3
(ABA 3) system. Adaptive cruise control and emergency braking
systems currently available on the market are able to recognize
and react to moving objects such as vehicles moving or slow-
ing down ahead. The new Mercedes-Benz ABA 3 system, which
we presented in September 2012 at the IAA Commercial
Vehicles show in Hanover, Germany, is also effective in situations
involving stationary obstacles such as construction site safety
vehicles or vehicles that have broken down. In such situations,
the new system independently brakes the truck until it comes
to a standstill. ABA 3 thus provides important support – especially
when lapses in attention occur. As a result, it can play a
major role in reducing the number of accidents on the road.
Digital vehicle networking. Automobiles are increasingly being
transformed into intelligent and digitally networked companions
that not only react to situations and think ahead, but also link
drivers to their social networks and the surrounding environment.
E see pages 38 ff One of the world’s biggest practical tests
for car-to-X communication (C2X) is now demonstrating how
networked vehicles can improve safety and efficiency. The trials –
part of the simTD (Safe Intelligent Mobility – test field Germany)
research project headed by Daimler AG – are examining 120
vehicles that have been on the road in the Rhine-Main region
since mid-2012. These cars are linked to one another and
to the traffic infrastructure, thereby enabling them to keep each
other informed about the current traffic situation. Daimler
is also researching and developing C2X communication systems
in the United States, where the Group is equipping vehicles
with C2X systems and carrying out tests at its site in Palo Alto,
California. These activities in the USA enable Daimler, as a
major global car maker, to take account of the American market’s
unique needs regarding C2X communication and to harmonize
technologies as much as possible.