Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/741843
78 commercial carrier journal | october 2016 2016 with the debut of its Mercedes-Benz Future Bus autono- mous bus concept that builds on the company's Highway Pilot autonomous driving system that debuted in the Freightliner Cascadia Inspiration in 2015 but adds additional functions to communicate with traffic lights, traffic flow and pedestrians. After demonstrating its autonomous capabilities with the self-driving Volvo FMX in a mining application, Volvo Trucks also continues to work toward autonomous solutions for truck and bus applications. "Connectivity is one of the key enablers of automated driving," said Claes Nilsson, president of Volvo Trucks. "Thanks to today's fast pace of technological development, the market will see more and more solutions that offer ever greater degrees of driver support. Self-driving trucks may gradually become an important complement in mining operations, for instance, but for transport operations on public roads, the driver will continue to play the major role." The building blocks of autonomy There also were a host of announcements from companies that are providing incremental solutions toward autonomous truck operation that will be ready for market far sooner than many of the concept vehicles on display. Eaton announced its Advanced Driver Assist System and Dock Assist feature that allows trucks equipped with certain Eaton au- tomated manual transmissions to employ a self-docking feature to eliminate damage caused by manual docking. The driver positions the truck and trailer in front of the load- ing dock, applies the service brake, comes to a stop and activates the Dock Assist function. The ADAS software engages trans- mission controls and backs the truck toward the loading dock. When the transmission senses contact with the dock based on the change in torque, the system allows the truck to self-park. ADAS and Dock Assist soon will be available as a software up- grade for Eaton's UltraShift Plus, Fuller Advantage and Procision automated manual transmissions running a version 3.7 control module or newer. In what Wabco Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Jacques Esculier referred to as "a suite of products that will allow functionalities that will help pave the path toward autonomous driving," the company unveiled a number of new accident mitiga- tion technologies to detect and avoid obstacles on the roadways, including a partnership with Mobileye, a provider of localization and high-definition lane data. Wabco's OnGuardMax builds on the company's existing OnGuard collision mitigation system technology by adding full braking power in case the driver doesn't react in time to avoid an accident by detecting stationary objects using forward-facing 77GHz radar and high-resolution cameras. The company also introduced OnCity, a collision avoidance system that employs 180-degree sensors that detect pedestri- ans and obstacles on the sides of the truck and also applies full braking power. Wabco also signed an agreement with Mountain View, Calif.-based Peloton Technology to supply its braking, advanced stability and emergency braking system technology for Peloton's platooning development program. "[Uncongested] highways in the United States is the first envi- ronment that favors platooning," Esculier said. "Platooning is not only about aerodynamic efficiency. Ultimately it is to pull drivers from trucks, and this is particularly attractive for all countries across the world that have a shortage of drivers." Earlier this year, Wabco and ZF released Evasive Maneuver Assist, a sensor technology that automatically steers the truck around hazards and avoids rear-end collisions in situations where full active braking systems would not be able to avoid a collision, such an in icy road conditions. EMA is one of the three cornerstones of ZF's Innovation Truck 2016, along with its Highway Driving Assist system that keeps the truck in its lane at a safe distance behind the vehicle in front, as well as SafeRange, an autonomous maneuvering assistant that independently approaches the required loading dock to reduce the chance of accidents at shipper/receiver facilities. Daimler Trucks Asia plans to launch the Fuso eCanter in targeted markets in 2017, including the United States, before rolling it out fully in 2018. Eaton's Advanced Driver Assist System with Dock Assist soon will be available, allowing the truck's transmission to back the trailer autonomously to the loading dock.