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

  • November 30, 2012
    Intel investing in vehicles’ connected future
    Prospects for a vision of vehicles fully connected to traffic information, safety and entertainment services are being boosted by a $100 million investment from Intel. Pete Goldin reports. Hear the name Intel and what comes to mind is processing power. What may not be realised is that Intel is positioned to become a major player in the automotive technologies market, including connected vehicle technology. To strengthen this position, the company’s investment arm, Intel Capital, has established a $100 milli
  • July 17, 2012
    Development of cooperative driving applications for work zones
    The German AKTIV project is researching several cooperative driving applications for use in work zones. PTV's Michael Ortgiese details progress. The steep increases in traffic volumes predicted back in the early 1990s have unfortunately been proven to be more than accurate. In Germany, the AKTIV project continues to look into cooperative technologies' potential to reduce the impact of those increased traffic volumes and keep traffic moving despite limitations in infrastructure capacity.
  • March 14, 2012
    Trends in automotive technology
    Continental has become a leading player in vehicle technology and telematics. The firm’s executive board chairman Elmar Degenhart describes to Jason Barnes Continental’s views on the ‘megatrends’ of the automotive industry Strategic moves to diversify Continental’s business from rubber-related products began in the late 1990s with the acquisition of ITT Teves and its brake business. This brought on board know-how relating to the then new electronic stability control (ESC) systems which today form an import
  • February 11, 2016
    US regulator ‘paves the way for Google’s self-driving car’
    A letter to Google, the US federal transport regulator, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), appears to pave the way for self-driving cars, but adds the proviso that the rule-making could take some time. Google had requested clarification of a number of provisions in the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSSs) as they apply to Google’s described design for self-driving vehicles (SDVs). “If no human occupant of the vehicle can actually drive the vehicle, it is more reasonable