Automatic braking

Automatic braking is a technology for automobiles to sense an imminent collision with another vehicle, person or obstacle; or a danger such as a high brakes or by applying the brakes to slow the vehicle without any driver input. Sensors to detect other vehicles or obstacles can include radar, video, infrared, ultrasonic or other technologies. GPS sensors can detect fixed dangers such as approaching stop signs through a location database. ^[1][2][3]

Operation

Automatic braking by the system after sensing an obstacle can be executed in two modes. In collision avoidance,the collision is avoided by the automatic braking, but the driver will not be warned in this type of system. There is a very good chance of wrongly interpreting the signals, especially in the case of radars or lasers. So this is not so effective method of automatic braking.In collision mitigation system,the sensors detect the possibility of collision but will not take immediate action. A warning will be sent to the driver in the form of a signal or a voice message. There is a threshold safe distance calculated by the system and if the driver fails to respond even when the vehicle crosses that region, then only brakes will be applied automatically. Even if there is a mis-interpretation of signals, there is no problem because, the decision to apply brakes is left with the driver and the brakes are applied automatically only in the most emergency situations. Many vehicles are provided with the option of turning on or off the automatic system based on their surroundings. In some automobiles even though they cannot be completely disabled, they can be limited to warning the driver about coming obstacle. Even this emergency braking initiates ABS which help the driver to retain the control over vehicle without any skidding. Automatic braking system is only effective if the mode of sensing the obstacles is reliable, or else any kind of false interpretation may cause a lot of damage.

References

1. ↑ mydigitallife.com: Toyota Develops Automatic Brake System Assisted by GPS Technology for Safety Driving. http://www.mydigitallife.info/2008/02/13/toyota-develops-automatic-brake-system-assisted-by-gps-technology-for-safety-driving/
2. ↑ The Volvo Owners Club: New Collision Warning with Auto Brake helps prevent rear-end collisions. http://www.volvoclub.org.uk/press/releases/2007/collision_warning.shtml
3. ↑ howstuffworks.com: How Pre-Collision Systems Work. Types of Pre-collision Systems. http://auto.howstuffworks.com/car-driving-safety/safety-regulatory-devices/pre-collision-systems2.htm

External links

• Automotive Radars used for AEB System (Advanced Emergency Braking System)