Ford Technology Newsbrief 08-2010 Driver alert Lane Departure Warning Bigger, better sound

New Ford Mondeo goes on sale from next month featuring two potentially life-saving technologies. The flagship model is the first Ford to offer a safety system which warns if the driver is at risk of falling asleep. It’s also equipped with a device designed to stop accidental lane straying. This is the story of their development …

Driver alertMonDeo heralDs saFer Motoring era

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Driver alert

Driver fatigue facts and statsResearch carried out by UK road safety organisation RoSPA (Royal Society for Prevention of Accidents) reveals almost one-in-five serious motorway crashes are caused by drivers falling asleep at the wheel.

According to RoSPA, sleep-related crashes are most likely to happen:• On long journeys on monotonous roads,

such as motorways • Between 2am and 6am • Between 2pm and 4pm (especially after

eating, or taking even one alcoholic drink) • After having less sleep than normal • After drinking alcohol • If taking medicines that cause drowsiness • On journeys home after night shiftsThe organisation concludes: “Most of the things that drivers do to fight off sleepiness when driving are ineffective for more than around 10 minutes. They are only useful in an emergency to provide time for the driver to find somewhere safe to stop and rest. “The only measures that have an effect in reducing sleepi-ness when driving are taking a nap of around 15 minutes and taking at least 150mg of caffeine (at least two cups of strong coffee or equivalent). However, even these measures are no substitute for sleep. Drivers need to plan trips to include a rest stop every two hours!”

Margareta Nieh biographyMargareta Nieh joined Ford in 2002 and is currently based at the company’s technical centre in Merkenich, Germany. Married, with a three year-old daughter, she is passionate about her work as an electrical engineer.“I’ve got a brilliant job,” she says. “We have an excellent team here at Merkenich and I especially enjoy testing new products. I get to develop innovative technology with a super bunch of people so working for Ford is never boring!“This is a very exciting time to work in the industry. Car electronics have evolved massively in recent years, enabling us to really push the boundaries. The next generation Focus is a great example. It really moves the game on from a technological perspective. I’d love one!”

Tens of thousands of accidents are caused on Europe’s roads each year by tired drivers nodding off at the wheel. Fatigue kills and the problem is that many motorists don’t recognise the warning signs until it is too late. Fall asleep driving at 120 km/h (33 metres per second) and there’s a chance you’ll never wake up…

Ford has taken a huge step towards reducing the risks drowsy drivers pose to themselves and other road users. The company has just launched technology that actually analyses driver perform-ance and then warns if their concentration levels are flagging!

It’s called Driver Alert and it’s the latest in a long line of driver assistance technologies Ford has brought to market in recent years. Ford engineer Margareta Nieh worked on the

development of Driver Alert and is an expert on drowsy driver behaviour.

“Driver fatigue is a serious problem and one that can affect anyone,” Nieh explains. “When a driver becomes drowsy they tend to drift off line as they lose concentration and they might make sudden corrective steering inputs. What we’ve developed is a Driver Alert system that picks up on these erratic driving movements by detecting sideways yaw.”

The Driver Alert system comprises a small forward-facing camera connected to an on-board computer. The camera is mounted on the back of the rear view mirror and is trained to identify lane markings on both sides of the vehicle.

When the vehicle is on the move, the computer looks at the road ahead and predicts where

the car should be positioned relative to the lane markings. It then measures where the vehicle actually is and if the difference is significant, the system issues a warning.

“Let’s imagine the driver is tired, their concentration levels start to drop and the vehicle starts to drift from side-to-side” says Nieh. “The software will detect this change in the vehicle’s behaviour, triggering a two stage warning process.

“First a soft warning will pop up in the instru-ment cluster as a text message and will stay there for 10 seconds with an accompanying chime. If the driver continues to demonstrate drowsy behaviour, a hard warning will appear in the instrument cluster which the driver must acknowledge by pressing an okay button!

“If the driver fails to acknowledge the hard warning, the system can only be re-set by stopping the car and opening the driver’s door. The system then recognises that perhaps you have changed drivers or that you have had a rest and can continue.”

Although Driver Alert’s camera is trained to look for lane markings on both sides of the road it will function if markings on just one side are detected. The system can be switched off via the instrument cluster.

“The technology is very clever,” says Nieh. “It’s been programmed to recognise intentional lane changing manoeuvres so it won’t issue a warning whenever you overtake for example.”

Because Driver Alert works by detecting sideways deviations, in theory a driver could fall asleep and not trigger the system if the vehicle continues in a straight line. In tests however it has proved incredibly accurate.

“The initial technology was developed by our colleagues at Volvo,” explains Nieh “They put sleep deprived drivers behind the wheel on public roads with scientists sitting next to them and the detection rates were excellent.

“The system was also extensively tested using data from a Virttex car simulator in North Ameri-ca. The drivers taking part had not slept for 23 hours. On this occasion the system achieved a 100 per cent detection rate!”

Driver Alert makes its debut in the new Ford Mondeo and the technology will be rolled out to other Ford models in the future.

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Lane Departure Warning System

Ford has an impressive track record of developing driver safety aids and the company is continuing this trend with the launch of a Lane Departure Warning system on New Mondeo.

lane Departure Warning system

Safe and simple. System can be turned on or off with this switch.

It’s taken two years to develop and it uses the same forward facing camera as Driver Alert to read lane markings in the road ahead. If it detects the car is crossing into another lane, it vibrates the steering wheel to raise the alarm.

Ford engineer Dirk Gunia led the development of the system: “Driver Alert and Lane Departure Warning are two separate systems but they work on a similar principle.

“Lane Departure Warning has been developed to reduce the risk of unintentional lane departure. Say for example a driver is temporarily distracted adjusting the audio and the vehicle veers off course, as soon as the vehicle touches the lane marking, the system turns on an electric motor mounted on the steering column which causes it to vibrate. It’s an instant, physical warning.”

The Lane Departure Warning System also features a graphic in the vehicle instrument display cluster. An outline of a car is depicted with a green line on each side representing lane markings. If the vehicle strays into another lane, the relevant line in the graphic turns red.

So how does the system react to an overtaking manoeuvre for example? “It has been pro-grammed to recognise certain manoeuvres,” adds Gunia. “If you indicate to move left or right, this suppresses the system. It understands you intend to change lane and therefore it will not send a warning.”

The Ford Lane Departure Warning System is very effective at warning drivers of impending danger, and an even more sophisticated version that will actually steer a vehicle away from trouble is under development by Ford engineers.

“This new technology, which we call Lane Keeping Aid, is still in development,” says Gunia. “It takes Lane Departure Warning one-step further in that it will physically intervene, poten-tially avoiding a collision.

“Whereas Lane Departure Warning sends a vibration to the steering wheel, Lane Keeping Aid is connected to the car’s electronic power steering system. If the camera detects the vehicle is about to unintentionally stray into another lane, it smoothly intervenes by applying a steering force to keep the vehicle on course.”

Mirror-mounted camera keeps an eye on the road.

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Ford Technology Newsbrief 08-2010 Published by Ford of europe, Communications and Public affairs · Contact: Don hume, dhume@ford.com

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Audio

Ford delivers bigger, better sounds

Ford has developed a new generation of audio systems for its European vehicles, combining exceptional sound clarity, superb looks and easy-to-use controls.

Did you know ? Ford’s Rear View Camera system features industry first visual guidelines to make reversing as simple and safe as possible?The system made its European debut in Ford Kuga and uses an exterior camera embedded in the rear of the vehicle that sends colour images to a video display in the navigation system whenever reverse gear is selected.The advantage with Ford’s system is that the image is overlaid with lines that mark the width of the

vehicle so the driver can tell instantly whether a parking space is too narrow. Because it features a centre line, it’s especially helpful when attempting to hook up a trailer.Ford’s Rear View Camera also has exceptional low light capability. This, combined with the intensity of the vehicle’s reversing lamps, helps deliver a clear image even in dark parking areas.Rear View Camera is currently available on Mondeo, Kuga, S-MAX, Galaxy, and will also feature on C-MAX, Grand C-MAX and the next generation Focus.

Topping the range is a 265 Watt Premium Sound System, which made its debut in new S-MAX and Galaxy and is also available in the new Mondeo.

Developed in conjunction with Sony, it features an eight-channel amplifier unit, an all-new speaker system including an instrument panel-mounted centre unit plus a large, 18-litre subwoofer. It also boasts full DSP (Digital Signal Processor) functionalities which ensure pinpoint sound accuracy and enables listeners to adjust the sound to their personal tastes, ideal for the discerning audiophile. All S-MAX, Galaxy and Mondeo vehicles have a minimum of 8 loudspeakers, with 13 in the Galaxy Premium Sound System.

Radio performance is excellent. All Galaxy, S-MAX and Mondeo models now come fitted with two concealed antenna systems as standard. This, coupled with the latest radio technology, delivers the best- possible radio signal reception, even under demanding conditions. The new C-MAX and Grand C-MAX are benefiting too, every new C-MAX uses the same radio technology with one roof mounted and one concealed antenna.

Ford’s C-MAX and Grand C-MAX audio systems have also undergone major change. They now feature six speakers and are operated via a Ford integrated control panel with a mobile phone style layout.

Ford is also strengthening its exclusive global partnership with Sony by introducing an all-new, mid-range Sony-branded system which will debut in new C-MAX and Grand C-MAX.

This system features a totally new gloss black control panel, full colour TFT centre mounted display and nine loudspeakers including one in the centre dash which significantly improves the staging of the sound.

There’s also the option of DAB (standard in some markets) including a clever feature which searches for a radio station in FM if the DAB signal is too weak and then reverts back to DAB when the signal improves. Sony is also available with the all new SD card based navigation system.

Ford’s Alan Norton explains: “Our premium sound system has been very well received since its launch in S-MAX and Galaxy earlier this year. We’ve targeted sound quality and radio reception excellence as key priorities in the new C-MAX and Grand C-MAX systems to deliver a superior quality audio experience for our customers. All new CD systems are also MP3 compati-ble. We’ve also made high-level connectivity available for all-series. This includes Bluetooth phone and Bluetooth music streaming, USB, iPod, and voice control coupled with hands free operation.”

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