“This technology adds to the already impressive list of
driver-assist technologies Ford customers benefit from today,” said Raj Nair,
Ford group vice president, Global Product Development.
Pre-Collision Assist with Pedestrian Detection will debut as
available technology on the 2015 Ford Mondeo on sale in Europe this year. It
will then roll out to other Ford and Lincoln products around the world.
While the new system may be especially helpful in unexpected
situations, it does not replace the driver and has limitations including
nighttime, low and harsh lighting conditions, vehicles moving in a different
direction and certain weather conditions.
Detecting pedestrians
In daylight and clear weather conditions, the new technology
may detect people in or near the road ahead, or pedestrians crossing the
vehicle’s path. If a pedestrian is detected in front of the car and a collision
is imminent, the driver first receives an audible and visual warning. Should
the driver not respond, the system improves brake responsiveness by reducing
the gap between brake pads and discs. If there is still no response from the
driver, the brakes are applied automatically and vehicle speed is reduced.
The system processes information collected from a
windshield-mounted camera and radar located near the bumper; it then checks the
information against a database of pedestrian shapes to help distinguish people
from typical roadside scenery and objects.
Ford engineers tested the system on closed test tracks using
rigs fitted with manikins to replicate pedestrians. They then spent months
refining the technology on roads around the world to test system reliability.