Skip to main content

Ford invests in next-generation driver assist technology

In addition to the driver assistance systems already in use on its card, new technology being developed by Ford includes cross-traffic alert with braking technology to help reduce parking stress by detecting people and objects about to pass behind the vehicle, providing a warning to the driver and then automatically braking if the driver does not respond. Rear wide-view camera, on the in-car display, will offer an alternative wide-angle view of the rear of the vehicle. Enhanced active park assist will paral
November 4, 2016 Read time: 3 mins
In addition to the driver assistance systems already in use on its card, new technology being developed by 278 Ford includes cross-traffic alert with braking technology to help reduce parking stress by detecting people and objects about to pass behind the vehicle, providing a warning to the driver and then automatically braking if the driver does not respond. Rear wide-view camera, on the in-car display, will offer an alternative wide-angle view of the rear of the vehicle. Enhanced active park assist will parallel or perpendicular park at the push of a button.

Further technologies developed at the Ford European Research and Innovation Centre in Aachen, Germany, include systems designed to help drivers steer around other vehicles to help avoid high speed collisions, and to warn drivers from travelling the wrong way down motorways.

These new technologies – expected to be first made available on Ford vehicles in the next two years, are part of the company’s commitment to triple its investment in developing driver assist features, to evolve them further and to expand their capabilities, speeding the roll-out of systems that make it easier to park and drive in heavy traffic, and help drivers avoid collisions.

Ford aims to take the stress out of parking with enhanced active park assist, which controls steering, gear selection and forward and reverse motion to facilitate parking at a push of a button. The system can automatically enter and exit a parallel parking space, and can reverse the vehicle into a perpendicular space. Enhanced active park assist also uses sensors to locate suitable parking spaces.

Cross traffic alert with braking uses radar sensors to monitor the area behind the vehicle. If the driver is backing out and does not react to the initial warning, the system is designed to automatically apply the brakes. The system is being designed to detect motorcycles and bicycles.

Rear wide-view camera displays a wide-angle view from the rear of the vehicle on the in-car display, to offer a similar functionality to Ford’s front wide view camera located at the front of the Ford Edge, Galaxy and S-MAX models. When reversing, it provides an additional view that enables drivers to see around corners as well as obstacles and objects approaching from behind the vehicle.

Ford also is developing new technology that could help drivers steer around stopped or slower vehicles to help avoid collisions.

Designed to operate at city and highway speeds, evasive steering assist uses radar and a camera to detect slower moving and stationary vehicles ahead and provides steering support to enable drivers to help avoid a vehicle if a collision is imminent. The system is activated if there is insufficient space to avoid a collision by braking only and the driver decides to take evasive action.

Ford is also developing technology that could help stop wrong-way driving − to warn drivers against entering the motorway from the wrong direction.

Wrong way alert uses a windscreen mounted camera and information from the car’s navigation system to provide drivers with audible and visual warnings when driving through two No Entry signs on a motorway ramp.

Traffic jam assist is a further technology previously announced by Ford, and expected to first arrive for customers within two years. The system assists the driver in keeping the vehicle centred in the lane and brakes and accelerates to keep pace with the vehicle in front

Longer term, Ford is also developing a camera-based advanced front lighting system that widens the headlight beam at junctions and roundabouts after interpreting traffic signs.

Related Content

  • January 24, 2014
    Ford teams up with MIT and Stanford on automated driving
    Building on the automated Ford Fusion Hybrid research vehicle unveiled last month, Ford is announcing new projects with Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Stanford University to research and develop solutions to some of the technical challenges surrounding automated driving. Automated driving is a key component of Ford’s Blueprint for Mobility, which outlines what transportation will look like in 2025 and beyond, along with the technologies, business models and partnerships needed to get the
  • December 22, 2017
    Rear View Safety launch sensor for obstacles behind vehicles
    Rear View Safety will launch its RVS-112-W Waterproof Backup Sensor Reversing System (RVS-112-W) in early 2018. The system is designed with the intention of warning drivers of potential obstacles behind their vehicle up to 8ft away.
  • October 26, 2017
    Applied Information’s app gets Marietta connected
    Must the benefits of connected vehicle technology wait for a generation of new or retrofitted vehicles? The US city of Marietta is about to find out. Can connected vehicle functionality be delivered via a smartphone? Well, in Marietta, Georgia, they are about to answer that question. The city is testing a smartphone app which warns motorists of nearby cyclists and pedestrians, approaching first responders, wrong-way driving, entering active school zones and much more.
  • May 29, 2013
    City Safety reduces low speed accidents on Volvo’s XC60 and S60
    It was four years ago that Volvo introduced its City Safety collision avoidance system which is designed to reduce the number and severity of low-speed accidents to the US market. However, a study in America by the Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI) has shown that the results may not be as good as initially indicated by an earlier report. According to Volvo, statistics show that 75% of reported collisions occur at speeds of up to 30km/h (18.6mph) typically in urban traffic and in slow-moving traffic queues