Rear end collisions are the main reason for the accidents in the world. This means that the vehicle moving on road strikes the next vehicle due to some reasons. this could be the distraction of driver's attention & driver drowsiness. With the aim of reducing rear-end collisions, Mercedes Benz developed Collision prevention assist system. This is new driver assistance system. It helps to avoid such mishap.
The most important part of this system is the radar-based sensor. It continuously monitors the speed of the next vehicle. It monitors the speed of the next vehicle if it is decreasing rapidly posing a threat of collision. If so, then the system warns the driver. It displays an indicator in the instrument panel. Alarm bell automatically rings when drive ignores the alert displayed on the dashboard. This system also works when changing the lanes while driving.
Most modern Collision Prevention Assist systems have the capability to optimise the brake pressure. It does so to counter the dangerous situation successfully. In such a condition, even if the driver applies brake very slightly, the system ensures that the desired braking force is applied. If the system predicts that the collision is unavoidable, then it sounds an alert to the passive safety systems such as seat belts.
Collision Prevention Assist on Mercedes Benz works from the vehicle speed of 7 km/h to 250 km/h.
Actually, it is an alert symbol for the Driver Drowsiness Detection. It is an active safety system in modern cars which is capable of detecting drowsiness or fatigue of the driver and thereby, it prompts him/her to take a break.
Long hours of monotonous driving on motorways or expressways is tiring. It results in fatigue and also causes the loss of concentration to the driver. Many studies have been carried out all over the world on this issue. They conclude that the driver's loss of concentration is the main cause of almost 25% of all the road-accidents.
Hence, to reduce such accidents; the automotive engineers invented the Drowsiness Detection system. Thanks to the new Drowsiness Detection tech which consists of highly sophisticated electronic sensors. And rightly so, it helps to detect the driver behavior accurately.
This system analyses the driver's consistency while driving. And, it does so in the first few minutes of driving. Also, it continuously monitors the pattern of steering input given by the driver from time to time.
The drowsiness detection system observes the driver behavior. It detects if the driver has not given the steering input for a long time and then suddenly made corrections. If so, then it clearly indicates that the driver is tired and is losing his/her concentration.
In such a case, the system starts analyzing the other parameters. They include the speed of the vehicle, time of day & ambient weather conditions. It also takes into consideration the time for which the driver is driving and if he/she used other controls of the vehicle. Then, the system integrates all these factors. It then compares them with the original pattern of driving and calculates the ‘tiredness index’ of the driver. If the value of this index exceeds a certain limit, the system alerts the driver by means of an audio-visual and vibration signal on vehicle's dashboard. Thus, it prompts the driver to take a break or rest for some time.
In addition, this system usually remains operational between the vehicle speeds ranging from 80 to 180kmph.
The vehicle manufacturers use custom acronyms to denote DDDS. The luxury car-maker Mercedes-Benz uses the terminology as 'Attention Assist. BMW uses the term 'Active Driving Assistant' and Land Rover names it as 'Driver Condition Monitor' system. Citroen and Mazda both use the 'Lane Departure Warning System' to alert the driver. Ford uses 'Driver Alert'. Volvo uses 'Driver Alert Control' systems and Nissan uses 'Driver Attention Alert' respectively. Toyota calls this technology as 'Driver Monitoring System'. Subaru names it as 'EyeSight Driver Assist'.
Bosch also makes this tech under the name 'Driver Drowsiness Detection'. Besides these, there are a few more independent product developers such as the 'Anti-sleep Pilot' and 'Vigo'. You can fit the anti-sleep device to any vehicle. This device uses the accelerometer in combination with reaction tests. Another device Vigo is a smart Bluetooth device. It detects the driver drowsiness through the motion of the eyes and head.