Ford brings techy driver alert systems to mass market Explorer
By Al Vinikour
MotorwayAmerica
(October 29, 2011) DEARBORN, Mich. — Automobile safety technology has become so sophisticated that it can now detect if the driver has become drowsy…and offers him or her a copy of coffee. Not literally, but visually. Ford Motor Company’s new Driver Alert System that it’s launching early in 2012 on the Ford Explorer includes a system that can detect the inattentiveness of a drowsy driver and display a coffee cup warning light that will appear on the dashboard instrument cluster.
The purpose is to suggest to drivers that they may need to take some leave time from the wheel and have a rest stop – most generally a coffee break.
The coffee cup notifier is just one of three technologies Ford will be introducing for the new Explorer equipped with the innovative Lane Keeping System. It’s designed to help drivers avoid unintentional lane changes. Lane Keeping Alert detects when the vehicle is drifting close to lane markings and will alert the driver through a vibration in the steering wheel. Admittedly much of this technology is not new in the industry. Lane Departure has been around for some time and inattentive/drowsy warnings and intervention is somewhat newer. What makes this introduction important is that these systems are finding a way into mainstream vehicles, here in Explorer as a starting point for Ford in North America. Heretofore a buyer seeking these particular safety features would have had to look to the likes of luxury makers such as Infiniti or Mercedes-Benz among others.
Lane Keeping Aid takes this technology even further by providing steering torque to alert the driver of the need to steer back towards the center of the lane instead of just an audible warning. The system calculates the amount of steering required based on factors such as the distance to the lane markings, yaw angle and curve radius determined from the front camera and other sensors in the vehicle. It will noticeably hold the correct arc of the steering wheel for a period of about six seconds, which is more than enough time to enable to driver to make necessary corrections on his or her own
If preferred, Lane Keeping Alert can work in combination with the Lane Keeping Aid. The driver can override the Lane Keeping Aid at any time through counter steering, hard braking or fast acceleration. The sensitivity can be adjusted between normal and increased, which moves the warning zones in closer to the center of the lane. The intensity of the steering wheel vibrations can be adjusted as well between low, medium and high. The last-known setting for each selection is stored so it doesn’t have to be set each time the system is activated. Using the car’s turn signal mitigates the warning system.
The system features must be turned on by the driver and will stay on unless the driver turns them off. The systems work both day and night with low-beam headlights. Dashed lines like those on highways will appear when the system is activated. A green line indicates the system is available and ready to provide a warning; a flashing yellow line means the system has just provided a Lane Keeping Aid warning; and a flashing red line notifies the driver of a Lane Keeping Alert warning. Finally, a gray line indicates the system is suppressed because the vehicle is traveling less than the 40-mph activation speed, the road is poorly marked or adverse environmental conditions do not allow the camera to determine road markings.
A forward-facing camera mounted at the vehicle centerline detects lane markings. The camera module is integrated with the rearview mirror and communicates to the steering system.
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