MOST ADVANCED SUITE OF STANDARD DRIVER-ASSIST TECHNOLOGIES INCLUDES AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
- Ford Co-Pilot360 to roll out in key global markets starting this fall to help customers drive more safely and confidently amid rising congestion and distractions; automatic emergency braking to be standard on new passenger cars, SUVs and trucks up to F-150 in North America going forward
- In North America, Ford Co-Pilot360 is the most advanced suite of standard driver-assist technologies among full-line brands and includes automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, blind spot information system, lane keeping system, rear backup camera and auto high beam lighting
- In addition, Ford offering even more premium driver-assist technologies, including adaptive cruise control with stop and go and lane centering, evasive steering assist and post-collision braking in North America
- In 2019, Ford is introducing reverse brake assist with AEB to help prevent drivers from hitting an object while backing up. Ford will continue adding new technologies to Ford Co-Pilot360 packages in the future
DEARBORN, Mich., March 15, 2018 – Ford Co-Pilot360, the most advanced suite of standard driver-assist technologies among full-line brands, aims to help people around the world more safely and confidently face congested roads – today and tomorrow.
Ford Co-Pilot360 includes standard automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, blind spot information system, lane keeping system, rear backup camera and auto high beam lighting. Ford Co-Pilot360 will roll out across Ford’s new passenger cars, SUVs and trucks up to F-150 in North America, starting on the new 2019 Ford Edge and Edge ST this fall.
“Though our vehicles today are safer than ever, drivers tell us they are still stressed about getting in a potential accident,” said Jim Farley, Ford president, Global Markets. “That’s one reason why we’re making these must-have technologies accessible to millions of customers each year.”
Most advanced standard driver assist package
Ford Co-Pilot360 is the most advanced suite of standard driver-assist technologies, including automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, blind spot information system, lane keeping system, rear backup camera and auto high beam lighting – a combination other non-luxury competitors don’t offer standard in North America.
Standard driver-assist technologies
| Ford Co-Pilot360 | Toyota | Honda | Chevrolet | |
| Automatic Emergency Braking with Pedestrian Detection | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Blind Spot Information System with Cross Traffic Alert | Yes | No | No | No |
| Lane Keeping System | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Auto High Beam | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Reverse Camera | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Ford Co-Pilot360 starts with standard automatic emergency braking – called pre-collision assist with pedestrian detection – that can help drivers avoid collisions with other vehicles or pedestrians who might accidentally cross in front of the vehicle’s path. If a potential collision is detected, a warning flashes and an alert sounds, and if the driver’s response is not sufficient, the system can automatically apply the brakes to help minimize a frontal collision.
The technology addresses Ford research showing a growing trend of people worrying about hitting pedestrians – and will be standard on 91 percent of Ford vehicles in North America by 2020.
Blind spot information system, or BLIS, uses radar to identify a vehicle entering the blind spot and alerts the driver with an indicator light in the side-view mirror. Cross-traffic alert can warn drivers of traffic behind when slowly backing out of a parking spot or driveway.
Lane keeping system has three functions:
- The first can notify drivers through steering wheel vibration that they need to correct course when the system detects the vehicle drifting close to lane markings
- The second provides steering torque to steer back toward the center of the lane
- Third, a driver alert system, continuously monitors driving pattern using a forward-looking camera and provides visual and audio warnings when the system estimates the driver’s vigilance level to be less than that of an attentive driver
Commercial customers can also benefit from Ford’s expansion of driver-assist technologies. By 2020, E-Series, F-650 and F-750 and even our F59 chassis will come with available automatic emergency braking, lane departure warning, driver alert system and more.
A National Transportation Safety Board study shows having technologies such as AEB can help prevent and mitigate rear-end crashes, which can help customers lower their cost of ownership.
“Our commercial customers trust our trucks to get the job done,” Farley said. “And soon, we’ll be giving them another reason to trust us even more.”
DOCUMENTS: Lane Keeping Technology (.pdf)
Testing, trusting tech
Ford will continue to introduce new driver-assist technologies. Next year, it plans to debut in North America and Asia Pacific automatic emergency braking for when drivers are in reverse.
The company also is investing $500 million the next five years to continue developing new driver-assist and safety technologies. Key areas of focus will be simplifying the technologies so they work as people expect – especially as driving controls become more automated.
Researchers test the user experience with many new technologies at Ford’s VIRTTEX driving simulator in Dearborn and run new systems through a battery simulations built from more than hundreds of thousands of miles of testing across the country. For example, engineers tested a recent suite of radar and camera technologies for more than 660,000 miles across the globe.
This work also will help people become more comfortable with the idea of autonomous vehicles.
“Many people question the idea of autonomous vehicles,” Farley said. “But those who use advanced driver-assist technologies today say they are more open to cars doing all of the driving in the future.”
NEW FORD PRE-COLLISION ASSIST WITH PEDESTRIAN DETECTION TECHNOLOGY MAY HELP DRIVERS AVOID SOME FRONTAL CRASHES
- Available new technology from Ford – Pre-Collision Assist with Pedestrian Detection – is designed to reduce the severity of and, in some cases, even eliminate frontal collisions involving pedestrians
- Pre-Collision Assist with Pedestrian Detection – debuting on the 2015 Ford Mondeo in Europe – provides a collision warning to the driver and, if the driver does not respond in time, can automatically apply the vehicle brakes
- Other available Ford driver-assist technologies include lane-keeping system with lane-keeping aid, Blind Spot Information System (BLIS®) with cross-traffic alert, adaptive cruise control and collision warning with brake support, and active park assist
Ford Motor Company is rolling out a new driver-assist system that can reduce the severity of or even eliminate some frontal collisions involving vehicles and pedestrians.
Pre-Collision Assist with Pedestrian Detection uses radar and camera technology to scan the roadway ahead and, if a collision risk with a vehicle or pedestrian is detected, provides a warning to the driver. If the driver does not respond in time, the system can automatically apply up to full braking force to help reduce the severity of or even eliminate some frontal collisions. Pre-Collision Assist may help drivers avoid rear end collisions with other vehicles at all speeds, while Pedestrian Detection can help the driver avoid pedestrians at lower speeds – both may reduce the severity of forward collisions or even prevent certain forward collisions.
“This technology adds to the already impressive list of driver-assist technologies Ford customers benefit from today,” said Raj Nair, Ford group vice president, Global Product Development.
Pre-Collision Assist with Pedestrian Detection will debut as available technology on the 2015 Ford Mondeo on sale in Europe this year. It will then roll out to other Ford and Lincoln products around the world.
While the new system may be especially helpful in unexpected situations, it does not replace the driver and has limitations including nighttime, low and harsh lighting conditions, vehicles moving in a different direction and certain weather conditions.
Detecting pedestrians
In daylight and clear weather conditions, the new technology may detect people in or near the road ahead, or pedestrians crossing the vehicle’s path. If a pedestrian is detected in front of the car and a collision is imminent, the driver first receives an audible and visual warning. Should the driver not respond, the system improves brake responsiveness by reducing the gap between brake pads and discs. If there is still no response from the driver, the brakes are applied automatically and vehicle speed is reduced.
The system processes information collected from a windshield-mounted camera and radar located near the bumper; it then checks the information against a database of pedestrian shapes to help distinguish people from typical roadside scenery and objects.
Ford engineers tested the system on closed test tracks using rigs fitted with manikins to replicate pedestrians. They then spent months refining the technology on roads around the world to test system reliability.
“This real-world testing was an important part of the development, because pedestrians in an urban setting can present a wide range of potential situations,” said Scott Lindstrom, Ford manager, Driver Assist Technologies. “We covered more than 300,000 miles on three continents that included a wide range of settings and situations.”
Other driver-assist technologies available from Ford include lane-keeping system with lane-keeping aid, Blind Spot Information System (BLIS®) with cross-traffic alert, adaptive cruise control and collision warning with brake support, and active park assist.