Skip to main content

ZF TRW demonstrates semi-automated highway driving assist system

ZF TRW has demonstrated its semi-automated driving capabilities at a test track event in Berlin, Germany. The vehicle has a 'Highway Driving Assist feature which can enable automatic steering, braking and acceleration for highway speeds above 40 kph. The demonstration vehicle integrates ZF TRW's AC1000 radar and S-Cam 3 video camera sensor together with its electrically powered steering belt drive (EPS BD) and electronic stability control EBC 460 – the combination of adaptive cruise control (ACC) and lan
July 2, 2015 Read time: 2 mins
ZF TRW has demonstrated its semi-automated driving capabilities at a test track event in Berlin, Germany. The vehicle has a 'Highway Driving Assist feature which can enable automatic steering, braking and acceleration for highway speeds above 40 kph.

The demonstration vehicle integrates ZF TRW's AC1000 radar and S-Cam 3 video camera sensor together with its electrically powered steering belt drive (EPS BD) and electronic stability control EBC 460 – the combination of adaptive cruise control (ACC) and lane centring assist (LCA) functionalities. The ACC keeps the vehicle at a set speed until a slower vehicle appears in front or if another car cuts across the lane. It then automatically brakes and/or accelerates the vehicle to keep a driver-selected safe gap (constant time interval) behind the slower vehicle. At the same time, the forward looking camera tracks the lane markings to keep the car in the centre of the lane via the electric steering system. The driver can easily override the system at any time.

Peter Lake, executive vice president, Sales and Business Development at ZF TRW commented: "We're following a building block approach to automated driving functions showcasing what is achievable today using proven technology. Drivers will need to trust the technology and see its benefits as we move along a continuum to higher degrees of automation leading to more convenience and the ultimate goal, safer vehicles and roadways."

Lake continued: "The prototype vehicle represents a milestone in systems integration – one of ZF TRW's core capabilities as the only complete safety systems supplier worldwide. The beauty of these technologies is their flexible or scalable nature – the same sensing hardware can be used for different functions to suit vehicle manufacturer requirements. For example, the driver assist hardware on the vehicle could also enable Emergency Steering Assist functionality.

"At a later stage, we'll be showcasing a 360 degree sensor system which will also enable vehicles to automatically overtake (lane change control). The next decade represents a huge opportunity to improve not only the driving experience, but fundamentally road safety."

Related Content

  • Nokia builds comms network for the smart, super-connected highway
    March 6, 2025
    The challenges are clear, but operators are embracing digitalisation and automation as they work to transform the highway landscape
  • Researchers test cost-effective vehicle automation
    April 17, 2013
    Researchers at Oxford University in the UK are testing a combination of off-the-shelf technology which could enable a car to drive itself for sections of a familiar route. Dr Ingmar Posner of the University’s mobile robotics group is part of a team working on the car which he believes could affordably reach the showrooms in ten or fifteen years.
  • Global ADAS revenues to reach $460 Billion by 2020
    August 23, 2012
    ABI Research is predicting that global advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) revenues will surge from $22.7 billion in 2012 to $460.8 billion in 2017, with Asia-Pacific remaining the leading ADAS market throughout the forecast period. “Both commercial and regulatory drivers are expected to boost the ADAS market in the coming years,” says VP and practice director Dominique Bonte. “On the one hand, OEMs such as Ford have started rolling out ADAS features on medium to low-end cars in order to bolster their
  • Enforcement needs automation and communication
    February 1, 2012
    TISPOL's Peter van de Beek questions whether the thought processes which drive enforcement technology development are always the right ones. Peter van de Beek sees an ever-greater role for technology in traffic enforcement but is concerned that the emphasis of technological development and discussion is not always in the right places. 'Old-fashioned' face-to-face policing remains as valid as it ever did, he feels, but adds that there should be greater communication with those engaged at the sharp end of saf