In the BMW 7er presented at the Paris Motor Show, most of the DA functions can be placed in three categories.
1) A single HDR-CMOS camera serves three functions simultaneously: Speed limit monitor (SLM), intelligent headlight control (IHC), and lane departure warning (LDW).
The IHC function helps provide the clearest possible view to the driver by making extensive use of the main beam to illuminate the road. The camera system also monitors the road for headlamps of oncoming vehicles and tail lamps of vehicles in front, so as to dip to the low beam when necessary.
2) The new lane-change warning system warns drivers about their blind spots when changing lanes and hence reduces the risk of collisions. When the driver is about to change lanes with speed of at least 50 km/h, the system monitors adjacent right and left lanes and triggers dual warnings in case another vehicle enters the vehicle’s blind spot. The audiotactile warning includes an illuminated symbol in the side mirror, and vibration of the steering wheel.
3) The second-generation night vision system boasts the world’s first advanced pedestrian detection capability.
Like the first-generation system first introduced on the earlier BMW 7er, Autoliv’s new 2-G system is based on the firm’s infrared technology. It detects the pedestrian and displays him on the vehicle’s Night Vision display.The company’s night vision system displays a TV-like image on the navigation display of the road scene ahead, scans the road for pedestrians more than two times further than the low-beam headlight range.
The system was demonstrated at the VISION congress in Versailles with very favourable reactions from the attendant experts, who were particularly impressed with its accuracy and the seamlessness of its human-machine interface.