Volvo Trucks develop new Collision Warning with Emergency Brake system

Volvo Trucks, one of the largest producers of heavy trucks and transport solutions within the truck industry, has developed Collision Warning with Emergency Brake - an advanced emergency braking system which also includes early collision warning.  Ahead of the November 2015 European legal requirement that all new trucks be fitted with emergency braking systems, Volvo says this system will help to prevent severe accidents caused by driver inattention. "We began by asking ‘what really is the problem?'. The answer is inattention. If you watched the traffic ahead of you the whole time, you wouldn't need systems like these," says Carl Johan Almqvist, Traffic & Product Safety Director, Volvo Trucks.  The braking system has been developed to support the driver so that the majority of rear-end collisions can be avoided.

The new system, which is available on the new Volvo FH Series, combines a radar and a camera that work together to identify and monitor vehicles in front and is designed to possibly prevent a collision with a moving object at relative speeds of up to 70 km/h (50 mph). The system will then detect a vehicle that the truck may hit at its current speed, triggering the warning system to activate. A constant red light in the windscreen, in order to bring the driver's attention back to the road, will start. The system will then upgrade to a flashing red light and a beeping sound if the truck fails to detect any reaction from the driver, such as steering or braking. And if there is still no reaction, the system then gently applies the brakes. When all this fails, the system activates the emergency braking system and does everything possible to bring the truck to a complete stop.

Volvo has provided a helpful infographic in their latest press release, showing just how this system will work. Please see below.