WABCO introduces new safety technologies

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Fleet Owner  /  October 20, 2017

Commercial vehicle component supplier WABCO is bringing two new safety systems to market that can be ordered for new trucks and trailers as well as retrofitted to existing equipment.

The first is OnSide, a radar-based blind spot detection system for commercial trucks and trailers – a system WABCO said provides a 160-degree field of view and coverage for up to 65% of a standard 53-foot trailer.

It alerts drivers to the potential of a side collision with a vehicle traveling in a truck’s “blind spot,” the company said; an area in the adjacent lane which drivers cannot see in rearview or side view mirrors.

The system uses advanced short range radar to detect a moving vehicle in the blind spot – especially in “low visibility” conditions such as darkness, rain, snow or fog – and then alerts the driver with a visual signal.

WABCO noted that when the truck’s turn signal is engaged, the system provides a more assertive warning in the form of an audible signal or a seat vibration.

Mounted out of sight behind fairings on either side of the vehicle, OnSide’s “plug-and-play” functionality does not require alignment or calibration.  It is also designed to provide alerts for only “moving” targets, not objects that are stationery, the company stressed.

When used in conjunction with WABCO’s OnLaneASSIST lane keeping assist system, OnSide can provide active collision avoidance, the company said – with OnLaneASSIT applying a correction torque to the steering wheel to return the vehicle towards the lane center.

WABCO noted that Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) research shows that among the 97,000 annual large truck crashes involving intentional lane changes, side view assist technologies could prevent or mitigate nearly 39,000 crashes annually, including 2,000 that result in injury and 79 that cause fatalities.

WABCO added that OnSide will be available as a retrofit kit starting in November on new vehicles in the first quarter of 2018. 

The company’s second new safety system is an “Intelligent Brake Interlock” or “IBI” system for tanker trailers – an electronic brake interlock package that ensures the vehicle does not move during loading and unloading activity.

The company said the interlock system monitors vehicle speed as well as the position switch, with an “electronic failsafe” built in to provide an additional layer of safety by helping to prevent inadvertent brake activation while the vehicle is in motion. 

Available for spec’ing on new trucks as well as a retrofit kit, IBI is being touted for pneumatic-braking trailers hauling gasoline, diesel and crude oil, cryogenic and compressed gases such as hydrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide, argon and natural gas, food grade materials, as well as heated tanks and chemicals.

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Wabco Offers Blind-Spot Detection System

Heavy Duty Trucking (HDT)  /  October 20, 2017

Wabco has launched the OnSide advanced blind-spot detection system for commercial trucks and trailers, which alerts drivers to any vehicle in a blind spot and provides a side collision warning to reduce accidents. The company has also inroduced its Intelligent Brake Interlock, an advanced electronic brake interlock system.

OnSide helps improve commercial vehicle safety by alerting drivers to a potential side collision with a vehicle in a truck’s blind spot. The system uses advanced short-range radar for vehicle detection and then alerts the driver with a visual signal. When the truck’s turn signal is engaged, the system provides a more assertive warning in the form of an audible signal or a seat vibration.

When used with Wabco’s OnLaneAssist lane-keeping assistance system, OnSide can automatically return the vehicle to the lane's center. If a lane change is initiated and OnSide detects a vehicle in the blind spot, OnLaneAssist applies a correction torque to the steering wheel to avoid the collision.

Wabco OnSide’s radar sensor enables a 160-degree field of view and provides coverage for up to 65% of a standard 53-foot trailer. The system performs reliably even in low visibility conditions, such as darkness, fog, rain or snow, according to Wabco.

OnSide can distinguish moving vehicles from objects that do not pose a hazard to minimize false warnings. The system can be mounted out of sight behind fairings on either side of the vehicle and features plug-and-play functionality that does not require alignment or calibration.

“We are proud to present OnSide, the latest in a long history of Wabco innovations that improve commercial vehicle safety,” said Jon Morrison, president of Wabco Americas. “This advanced blind-spot detection system not only provides a solution to help reduce side collisions involving commercial vehicles, but it also provides capability for active collision avoidance for the autonomous vehicles of the future.”

Intelligent Brake Interlock

Wabco has also introduced its Intelligent Brake Interlock, an advanced electronic brake interlock system that improves the safety of tank trailers hauling hazardous materials or that are equipped with cryogenics.

Intelligent Brake Interlock can improve the safe operation of tank trailers by preventing a vehicle from moving during loading and unloading. The system monitors vehicle speed, as well as the position switch, and locks the foundation brakes electronically. An electronic fail-safe adds an additional layer of safety by preventing inadvertent brake activation while the vehicle is in motion. 

“We are excited to showcase Wabco’s Intelligent Brake Interlock at MCE 2017 and to offer an advanced solution to improve the safety of tank trailers in the region,” said Jon Morrison. “As the latest addition to Wabco’s Intelligent Trailer Program of advanced trailer technologies, this innovative system further differentiates Wabco as a technology leader in North America and around the globe.”

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