Intro to Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS)

Everyone makes mistakes. But making a mistake on the road can create danger for yourself and others. If you drive vehicles regularly, odds are you’ll be in an accident at some point in your life. As a result , organizations with fleet drivers need to take extra precautions to protect their drivers and their business. This is an area where technology can be extremely beneficial 

Advanced driver assistance systems (ADAs) are in-vehicle electronic systems designed to help the driver to maintain control of the vehicle. This in turn reduces the number of accidents on the road. ADAS use technologies that heighten driver awareness to accomplish these goals.

ADAS includes features like pedestrian detection and automatic emergency braking. ADAS technology has advanced so quickly it can even help prevent off-road accidents.

ADAS provides a variety of benefits for drivers, but their ultimate goal is to keep the driver, pedestrians, and your equipment safe from harm’s way. In this blog post, we will explore some of the most common types of ADAS technology as well as the benefits of using ADAS in commercial vehicles.

A driver monitoring system utilizes image processing techniques and inertial signals to detect drunk driving, driver distraction, and driver fatigue. This ADAS technology uses a special camera to examine the facial features of drivers and check for signs of impairment. For instance, things like excessive eye blinking and head swing are common signs of fatigue. The goal of a driver monitoring system is to detect driver impairment before it results in a serious accident.

The use of ADAS in commercial vehicles spans several industries. Some industries that benefit the most from ADAS are public transportation and trucking.Because of its size, larger vehicles have more blind spots and can cause more serious accidents. 

With that in mind, most ADAS include some type of blind-spot monitoring. These systems, also known as blind spot detection systems, use sensors to determine whether an oncoming vehicle is in one of your blind spots. If the sensor detects an oncoming vehicle, it alerts the driver through visual, audible, vibrating, or tactile feedback. Rear traffic alerts can be added to blind spot detection. . There are 18,000 injuries and 300 deaths a year in the U.S. caused by rearview blind spots alone. ADAS alerts give drivers feedback on potential hazards in rearview blind spots.

Despite our best intentions, it can be hard to focus on the road at all times. During these moments of distraction, a vehicle is at a higher risk of drifting over the dividing lines. Drifting vehicles are hazardous and can cause accidents on the road. ADAS often include some form of Lane Departure Warning technology that alerts the driver when the vehicle is drifting out of its lane. After receiving the alert, the driver knows to correct the situation and return to their lane.

Similar to blind spot detection, Lane Departure Warning alerts can be tactical, visual, audible, or vibrating in nature. A newer aspect of this technology is course correction capabilities.When sensors detect lane drifting, they send signals to the steering mechanisms. These signals occur without driver input, keeping the vehicle in the correct lane.

Another aspect of ADAS is automatic emergency braking. This technology applies the brakes in a vehicle when the driver gets too close to the car in front of them with no sign of stopping. You may have seen the commercials demonstrating this technology in situations where a driver takes their eyes off the road and their car comes to a screeching halt all on its own.

Automatic emergency braking protects drivers and civilians from lapses in concentration while driving. This increasingly common form of ADAS technology can also augment a driver’s abilities. For example, if a driver tries to make a hard stop but doesn’t hit the brakes hard enough then the automatic emergency braking system will activate to make up the difference in this scenario.

It is critical to be aware of pedestrians while driving in order to reduce on-road accidents. . Pedestrian detection systems use cameras to keep track of pedestrian movements while driving. The vehicle will alert the driver that an unseen pedestrian is in their vicinity so that they can take action. The goal of pedestrian detection technology is to help mitigate injury in the event of a collision.

More advanced pedestrian detection systems work in tandem with automatic emergency braking technology. In the event the driver fails to react to the alert, the system activates the automatic emergency brake. If a full-stop isn’t possible, the vehicle will still slow down to prevent injuries.

Pedestrian detection and avoidance systems in vehicles are becoming more common. 33% of new vehicles offer it as a standard feature. That said, pedestrian detection technology is still in its early stages and it is not reliable in all situations. Nevertheless, this technology is constantly improving.

One of the newest subsets of ADAS technology is traffic sign recognition. Using cameras, the vehicle can detect traffic signs it encounters while driving. Speed limit detection is one of the most common use cases for this technology. When passing a speed limit sign, cameras in the vehicle read the sign and send the message to the dashboard , alerting the driver. 

Many major driver manufacturers are investing in traffic sign recognition technology. Nonetheless, at the moment, the technology is most commonly seen in high-end vehicle models.

There are several benefits to using ADAS systems in commercial vehicles. Safety remains a top priority for vehicle manufacturers, commercial trucking operations, their employees, and pedestrians alike. ADAS technology helps keep your employees and operation safe.

If you’re having a hard time convincing your organization to invest in ADAs, you may want to think about how you are making the case for this technology and present it from different angles.

• Financially speaking, injuries are often costly and may involve workers’ compensation.
• Likewise, accidents involving civilians may lead to them pursuing legal action. Legal action can slow down many aspects of an organization until a jury reaches a verdict.
• Maintaining and purchasing vehicles for your fleet is expensive. Accidents can result in more money spent on repairs and vehicle replacement.

Accidents lead to unforeseen costs, whether it be in the form of dollars or someone’s life, so improving safety and reducing accidents should be the primary goal of any organization

The benefits of ADAS technology are numerous. At KUS, we have a dedicated research and development team based out of Taiwan specializing in furthering our ADAS offerings. Our advanced driver assistance systems equipment has earned us an accreditation by CNAS. We also have attained recognition from OEMs for our production capabilities and vertical integration.

We invite you to review our ADAS catalog if your organization wants to see our capabilities and what ADAS technology KUS has to offer. Otherwise, if you have any further questions or you’re looking to make a purchase, please contact us. We are more than happy to help you out.