DeviceGuru

MAN Nutzfahrzeuge and several other members of Germany’s AKTIV partnership this week demonstrated results from a four-year ITS (intelligent transport systems) research project at TUV Rheinland’s vehicle testing grounds in Mendig, Germany. The AKTIV project’s overarching goal is to develop innovative solutions for intelligent traffic safety and flow, while MAN’s research was specifically on traffic safety and the avoidance of traffic jams, by utilizing vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communication.

The goal of MAN’s research project was to develop “intelligent traffic assistant systems that [could] significantly reduce the risk of traffic jams and accidents on Germany’s roads,” the company says. MAN’s project developed “integrated lateral control and active emergency braking with automatic braking intervention.” Additionally, the company’s research investigated areas such as driver behavior and attentiveness when assistant systems are in operation

MAN provided the following description of its the AKTIV research project (click each thumbnail to enlarge):

• Active emergency braking — This technology enables the driver to see and hear visual and acoustic signals promptly whenever there is a risk of a rear-end collision. A MAN TGX 18.540 was equipped with a radar and video sensory system to demonstrate active emergency braking. This system also detects stationary obstacles and automatically initiates braking intervention if the driver fails to react to the prior warning signals. Active braking would be especially valuable to prevent rear-end collisions on motorways, where tailgating results in frequent rear-end collisions. In order to achieve the highest possible degree of acceptance from drivers, factors such as the driver’s momentary attentiveness and the situation in the adjoining lanes are part of the equation when the warning and braking intervention times are calculated.
   
  

• Integrated lateral control — This technology automatically keeps the truck in a defined target position within its lane. This is done by having a camera film the course of travel as well as the position of the truck. Deviations from the target position are avoided or reduced to an acceptable minimum via continuous steering intervention. Additionally, digital maps enable the truck’s target position within the lane to be adjusted for the next corner. There is also a radar system to detect trucks coming the other way, in which case the target position of the vehicle is moved toward the outer edge of the lane.
   
  

• Lateral control on construction sites — Traffic in Europe’s urban centers is already stretching the capacity of the road network to its limits. Additional obstacles such as construction sites on motorways further diminish network capacity and often result in long jams. By comparison with a passenger car, there is not much space for a truck on a narrowed construction-site lane.

  MAN tested a construction-site pilot on a prototype. Equipping the truck with automatic lateral control can assist the driver on narrow roads and prevent the vehicle leaving its lane. This is achieved by actively intervening in the steering of the vehicle. Accidents caused by leaving the lane unintentionally can potentially be prevented. This means that passing a truck on a construction site will get safer, resulting in improved flow of traffic in these areas.

  This is achieved with the help of a “Road Side Unit,” which transmits information on the course of the construction site to the vehicle, in particular information on the distance between structures on the side of the road and the lane. A laser scanner in the vehicle also continuously measures the distance of those structures from the truck. The special lateral control for construction sites then actively intervenes in the steering to ensure that the vehicle remains precisely in its lane. The system switches itself off automatically as soon as the driver removes his hands from the steering wheel. In this way, the driver always remains fully attentive to the vehicle.

• Maintaining driver attentiveness — A very important aspect of the development of new assistant systems is how well the drivers accept and handle them. With this in mind, MAN carried out driving tests in the MAN truck simulator at TU Munich’s Garching campus, in which drivers were exposed to typical situations that occur daily in long-haul transport. During long simulated trips with assistant systems, the drivers’ attention levels were analyzed to establish whether changes took place. The goal of the project is to design assistant systems in such a way as to minimize the risk of requiring too little from the driver and the associated inattentiveness. MAN used the simulator to investigate the influence of the level of automation and type of automation on the attentiveness of the driver, deriving corresponding design features for assistant systems from the results.

“Most important for us is always the question of safety, as well as our contribution to efficient transport,” explained Eberhard Hipp, AKTIV program coordinator and an advanced development manager at MAN. “With the system developed in AKTIV, we could make a considerable contribution to the avoidance of accidents and traffic jams right now,”

“In order for the systems developed here to move rapidly into series production, industry and government must act jointly in their implementation. Assistant systems are only interesting for customers if they not only result in greater safety but also have economic benefits,” Hipp added.

AKTIV stands for “Adaptive und Kooperative Technologien für den Intelligenten Verkehr,” which translates to “adaptive and cooperative technologies for intelligent traffic.” The AKTIV partnership’s 28 members include automobile manufacturers and suppliers, electronics, telecommunications and software companies, research institutes, and highway and traffic administrations. Further details are on the initiative’s website.

Munich-based MAN Nutzfahrzeuge is an international supplier of commercial vehicles and “innovative transport solutions.”