Braking safety developments from MAN
Vehicle manufacturer MAN has outlined some of its latest braking and safety system innovations for truck, bus and coach, including solutions promoted as part of its showcase at last year’s IAA Hannover.
The medium-duty MAN TGM can now be ordered with radar-based Turn Assist and Lane Change Support (LCS), as well as Lane Change Collision Prevention Assist (LCCPA) – technologies already available on the MAN TGX and TGS.
Turn Assist uses radar sensors to monitor the hard-to-see side area on the co-driver’s side at road speeds of up to 30 km/h. A three-part LED strip in the A-pillar or, if equipped with MAN OptiView, a display in the mirror-replacement system provides a stage-based warning in critical situations.
Lane Change Support (LCS) also uses side radar sensors, and monitors the areas to the left and right of the truck’s lane at speeds of 50 km/h and above. If the sensors detect a dangerous situation caused by a vehicle approaching from the rear when changing lanes, the system also issues a visual warning at an early stage.
To ensure safe lane changes in heavy traffic, Lane Change Collision Prevention Assist (LCCPA) assists drivers by constantly monitoring the vehicle’s surroundings. Two radar sensors on each side of the vehicle measure the distance between detected objects and their differential speed in relation to the driver’s vehicle.
The monitored area extends up to eight metres to the front and 80 metres to the rear. Should a dangerous situation arise when changing lanes, the system provides an early visual warning. If a steering movement takes place in the direction of the impending collision despite a warning, the LCCPA actively returns the vehicle to its own lane via a corrective steering torque in order to prevent an accident.
For bus and coach applications, the manufacturer highlighted the benefits of its EBS and MAN BrakeMatic systems.
The EBS electronic brake system ensures that the vehicle remains stable and steerable – even during emergency braking on slippery roads. The ABS anti-lock braking system uses sensors to detect the speed of each wheel during braking and regulates the brake pressure on each wheel individually based on this speed. This prevents the wheels from locking. Meanwhile, the ASR system ensures that the drive wheels do not spin when moving off or accelerating.
The MAN BrakeMatic brake control enables a constant speed to be maintained when driving downhill. Thanks to Maximum Speed Control (MSC), the continuous brakes fitted as standard also intervene when the maximum permissible speed of 100 km/h has been reached, meaning the limit is never exceeded. The EBS electronic brake system and MAN BrakeMatic are available for city buses, intercity buses and coaches from MAN and Neoplan.
The Electronic Stability Program (ESP) supports the driver in critical driving situations – such as when the bus breaks away or threatens to tip over when cornering too quickly. If the vehicle understeers, the Dynamic Stability Program (DSP) compensates by braking the rear wheel on the inside of the bend. On the other hand, oversteering – which can lead to the rear end breaking away – is avoided by braking the front wheel on the outside of the curve. In this way, the safety assistant helps to prevent accidents and consequently to protect passengers and other road users.
