The new See-Think-Act truck monitoring system will change international freight forwarding
December 7, 2018
A new system for the blind zones of the trucks, which are not visible in the rear view mirrors was presented during the IAA Nutzfahrzeuge 2018 event.
The German producer ZF Friedrichshafen AG introduced its innovative monitoring system in Hannover. It will help the truck drivers to prevent possible collisions with other vehicles, cyclists or pedestrians during turns.
This system can help make the trucks used by the forwarders throughout Europe safer for the other members of the traffic, especially in urban settings.
photo: https://vision.zf.com
The system includes sensors which are placed on the right side of the vehicle which will alert the drivers of the European logistics network about nearby objects or people. The alerts include visual, mechanical and sound alarms which will help the drivers from the International Forwarding Association to stop in time and to avoid incidents on the road.
This function will be further developed with the new Side Vision Assist system which includes cameras which will allow the drivers to see what is going on around the truck on a display in the truck cabin.
photo: https://www.zf.com
In an analog world, the picture displayed on the monitor can be ensured by no less than six rear mirrors.
When a danger of a collision is sensed, the system will directly impact the steering system and can even cause emergency stopping. This will make it an essential element of the future autonomous trucks which will be used by the international freight forwarders network.
The manufacturer is also planning to add a driver assists system for turning to this one. It will utilize two sensors located in the bottom right part of the truck, and which will cover the entire area which cannot be seen by the driver during a turn and will help prevent collisions.
ZF calls its intelligent systems “See – Think – Act” because they include cameras and sensors which can “see” what is going on, a central control unit which will “think”, as well as smart technologies which will “act” by directly affect the drive, steering system and chassis of the trucks used for European logistics.
This environmental recognition system is one of the first steps toward creating automated driving systems, which is the goal of most members of IFA too.
The system will be able to recognize the lane markings, the route as well as other members of the traffic, thanks to its highly modern sensors and cameras. These signals and images will be merged by an intelligent computer center which will turn them all into a 360-degree image. The computer will also do all of the calculations for an optimal reaction in case the truck gets dangerously close to somebody or something. The system will help the drivers from the European logistics network to react in a timely manner and in the safest way possible.
A system like this can improve the safety on the road immensely and will help reduce the incidents which the trucks from the freight forwarders network get involved in. Needless to say, this will save a lot of money, time and lives!
