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RED ALERT
Page 68
Page 69
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Colin Barnett takes a closer look at Eaton's collisior warning system. Can it make the roads safer for us ail!
s little as five years ago cruise control
jjwas a relative novelty in Europe, although all European truck makers now offer it as an option. and in many cases it's a standard feature.
In the US. lnowever, with its wide open spaces and long straight highways, it has been common for much longer.This experience has led to innovations such as Eaton VORA D's collision warning system (VORAD is short for Vehicle On-board Radar).
It's offered as a factory option by all of the major US truck builders; there are some 50,000 units in use over there. And, now that Derbyshire Telematics specialist RTL has been appointed as UK importer, we can try it over here.
The Eaton VORAD EVT-300 is a modular collision warning system (CWS), the core of which is the forward-facing radar system. A black box, almost A4 sized and around 40mm thick, is mounted at the front of the vehicle and connected to a CPU box mounted in the cab, As this contains gyroscopic motion sensors it has to be mounted securely, either horizontally or vertically.
Drivers' goodies
The third component of the basic system is a driver display unit mounted on the dash, ideally within the driver's line of sight. Optional modules arc the SmartCruise adaptive cruise control system and a side blindspot detector. Pricing varies with the specification, but is likely to be between L2,000-3,000 for a typical application.
The system works by emitting a cone-shaped radar beam ahead of the vehicle, although only a central strip just wider than one lane is normally acted upon. It can operate in the dark or in conditions of low visibility such as fog, snow or dust — one popular application is on snow ploughs where it can detect abandoned vehicles before hitting them.
On the entry to a bend the gyroscopic yaw sensor tells the radar to look to the appropriate side, effectively seeing around the corner Its range is just over 100m and it can monitor up 10 20 vehicles in all nearby lanes. When the radar bounces back off an object with thc size and radar signature of a vehicle, one of a variety of visual and audible warnings is conveyed to the driver.
The basic element of the system's operation is the gap to the vehicle in front, and whether this gap is getting shorter or longer.
When a gap is small but growing, as would be the case when a car pulls into your threesecond safety margin but is accelerating away, you only get a flash from the first of three lights.
If the gap is reducing, however, more lights are shown and a constant bleeper is activated. Various levels are given when the gap is at three, two or one seconds.
For example, a vehicle within two seconds will cause the green and amber lights to illuminate, but they will only be accompanied by an audible warning if the gap is closing. At half a second you get the full effect, regardless of the relative speed.
Other warnings are given if a slow-moving (less than 20% of your speed) or stationary object is detected within three seconds' travel.
The side view add-on has a 100° sensor mounted to a mudguard or side rail on either or both sides, as appropriate to the operation. When an object is detected, lights appear on a dedicated display unit on the A-pillar in line of sight with a mirror. If an object is detected and the relevant direction indicator is operated a warning tone is emitted.
Displays are available to monitor up to four sensors: a stand-alone system is available.
Smart Cruise, the third element, uses the radar to maintain cruise control providing there are no objects detected within the safety gap. Unlike adaptive cruise controls such as those from Mercedes-Benz and Volvo, this system is based on time gaps rather than distance.
When the gap falls below the set limit speed is progressively reduced by shutting aff the fuel, applying the engine brake and, on automated transmissions, downshifting. At the same time, the full CWS warnings are given.
When the obstruction has gone, normal cruise speed is resumed automatically.The system can be used in conjunction with a manufacturer's cruise control system or independently.
Telematics possibilities
That's the hardware.but there are some interesting telematics angles as well. For example, it can easily interface with full datalogging systems, such as those sold by importer RTL,where it can add extra data such as vehicle separation distances to driver and vehicle monitoring reports. Obviously, if a driver is spending a significant time too close to the vehicle in front, there are safety implications possibly requiring further "education".
One unique feature is the on-board memory, which stores two 10-minute segments of full vehicle proximity data. If a vehicle is involved in an accident the preceding 10 minutes can be analysed, showing the positions of all the vehicles involved in great detail, including distance from the monitored vehicle, relative speed and position, even in other lanes. The highlight of the system is the ability to create an animated reconstruction of the events leading up to the accident.
With trucks frequently being cast as the villains, often wrongly, in multi-vehicle accidents, the driver's innocence can be proved in a way that is often not possible with conventional accident investigation techniques.
lithe accident is relatively minor, and the truck can be moved, pressing a button on the display unit freezes the 10-minute period into its memory for later downloading, while it continues working as before.
The system is not cheap, but compared with the significant costs involved in accidents, the potential savings are considerable. No wonder safety conscious fleets such as the leading petroleum companies are evaluating it. •