Introducing the camera that can see round corners

Ford is introducing a new camera technology that can see around corners, even when drivers cannot, in a bid to alleviate the problems involved with exiting blind junctions and help avert accidents. The innovative Front Split View Camera, now available as an option in the all-new Ford S-MAX and Galaxy, displays to the driver a 180-degree view from the front of the car, using a video camera in the grille. At a blind junction or exiting a driveway, the camera enables drivers to easily spot approaching vehic
June 26, 2015 Read time: 3 mins
278 Ford is introducing a new camera technology that can see around corners, even when drivers cannot, in a bid to alleviate the problems involved with exiting blind junctions and help avert accidents.

The innovative Front Split View Camera, now available as an option in the all-new Ford S-MAX and Galaxy, displays to the driver a 180-degree view from the front of the car, using a video camera in the grille. At a blind junction or exiting a driveway, the camera enables drivers to easily spot approaching vehicles, pedestrians or cyclists.

The technology is activated at the push of a button. A one-megapixel camera in the front grille enables drivers to see a real-time 180-degree view, both left and right, on the vehicle’s eight-inch colour touchscreen. Drivers can track road users that approach on either side and pass in front of the vehicle. The camera, just 33 millimetres wide, is kept clear by a specially designed retractable jet-washer that operates automatically when the windscreen wipers are activated.

Data recorded by the European Road Safety Observatory SafetyNet project indicated that approximately 19 per cent of drivers involved in accidents at junctions experienced obstructions to view. In 2003, the UK Department of Transport said that vision affected by external factors contributed to 11 per cent of all road accidents.

To ensure that the technology worked, Ford tested the camera in varying light conditions on different types of roads from congested urban streets to tunnels, narrow alleyways, garages and areas with cyclists and pedestrians.

“We have all been there and it’s not just blind junctions that can be stressful, sometimes an overhanging tree, or bushes can be the problem,” said engineer Ronny Hause who worked on the project. “For some, simply driving off their own driveways is a challenge. This is one of those technologies that people will soon wonder how they managed without.”

“Pulling out at a blind junction can be a tricky manoeuvre for new and experienced drivers alike. The best approach has traditionally been to simply lean forward to get the best view whilst creeping forwards with the windows wound down to listen for approaching vehicles, but cyclists are a particular risk as they can’t be heard,” said Keith Freeman, an AA Quality Training Manager in the UK who also trains young drivers as part of the Ford Driving Skills For Life programme.

“This technology will certainly make emerging from anywhere with a restricted view so much safer and the experience less nerve-wracking for those behind the wheel,” Freeman added.
Location Based Systems

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Transport in the round
    October 13, 2015
    The ITF’s Mary Crass tells Colin Sowman why future transport demands will require governments to overcome the silo effect of individual single-modal authorities. The only global multimodal transport policy organisation,” is how Mary Crass describes the International Transport Forum (ITF), which is housed at the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). As head of policy and summit preparation at the ITF she says: “All other organisations are either regional or have a modal focus, we cove
    Read More
  • Make it easier to pay for parking, says AA
    August 9, 2017
    Seven out of 10 (70 per cent) UK drivers say they are more likely to drive by rather than park in a bay which requires payment by phone, according to a survey by the Automobile Association (AA). The AA-Populus Driver Poll of more than 16,500 members carried out last month, found that cash is still the preferred option for those looking to pay for parking. Despite their preference to use cash, around two thirds of drivers say that it is often a challenge to find the right change for parking, which may be due
    Read More
  • IBTTA’s Jones sees turbulent times and a bright future for tolling
    November 10, 2017
    Colin Sowman talks to IBTTA’s Pat Jones about the future of tolling in a fast-changing world. Pat Jones may have been executive director and CEO of the International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association (IBTTA) for 15 years but in his words: “Never before have I seen so much change coming so fast in the transportation and tolling industry.” Amidst all this change, tolling companies are asked to provide funding for roadway building or improvements which will be repaid for over, say, a 30-year concess
    Read More
  • Ford investing US$4.5 billion in electrified vehicle solutions
    December 14, 2015
    Ford is investing an additional US$4.5 billion in electrified vehicle solutions, adding 13 new electrified vehicles to its portfolio by 2020, when more than 40 per cent of the company’s global brands will come in electrified versions. This represents Ford’s largest-ever electrified vehicle investment in a five-year period. On the way next year is a new Focus Electric, which features all-new DC fast-charge capability delivering an 80 percent charge in an estimated 30 minutes and projected 100-mile range
    Read More

Highlighted Content