Nissan’s Safety Technology Development Concept
Vision 2015
Based on the concept of “Real World Safety,” Nissan is working to create safer automobiles with the goal of halving the number of automobile accident fatalities or serious injuries involving its vehicles by 2015 as compared to 1995. Nissan has already made significant progress – with occupant protection technologies such as SRS air bag systems, Zone Body construction, and crash avoidance technologies such as ABS (Anti-lock Braking System).
However, further work is needed to reduce the total number of accidents and create a safer “automobile society.” Nissan noticed that analysis of real world actual accidents revealed the primary human factor to be “recognition error.” This means that to help reduce accidents we must not stop at developing conventional safety technologies, but a further step of technological innovation is also necessary to support the human factors that help maintain safe driving conditions. Against this background, Nissan created its original approach to safety technology development called “Safety Shield.”
SAFETY SHIELD
“Safety Shield” is Nissan’s advanced proactive approach to safety technology development. It classifies driving conditions into six phases: from “risk has not yet appeared” to “post crash” and guides the development of technologies that function as “barriers” against potential danger in each area. In this context, Nissan recognizes that people are the key actors in the act of driving. So Nissan develops technology with a view toward supporting the driver’s control of the car. This means developing systems that provide the driver with appropriate information and response to driver inputs according to the driver’s intentions. It also means development of vehicle systems that may intervene to help reduce injuries and damage in case a crash becomes unavoidable. Based on this Safety Shield approach, Nissan is dedicated to putting safety technology on the road.
All-Around “Collision Free” Prototype
Nissan introduces the world’s first Backup Collision Intervention System, complementing its existing driver support systems: Distance Control Assist, Lane Departure Prevention, and Blind Spot Intervention.
Features
Nissan continually enhances the safety capabilities of its vehicles, based on the Safety Shield concept of “the vehicle that helps protect people” Nissan looks at safety with a focus on the driver, with the emphasis on providing intuitively understandable support for driving operations through tactile feedback in addition to visual and auditory alerts.
Back-up Collision Intervention (BCI) System Overview
When backing out of a parking space or in similar situations, BCI uses side sensors in the rear of the vehicle to detect potential obstacles. If the driver attempts to back up when an obstacle is detected, the system gives visual and audible warnings, and applies the brakes to help the driver avoid the obstacle.
Forward Collision Avoidance Assist Concept
The concept utilizes a highly sensitive radar sensor to monitor the distance from the vehicle in front and its relative speed. When the system detects an object in the vehicle path that could pose a collision danger, it prompts the driver to perform avoidance maneuvers by providing visual and audible warnings, and smoothly applying partial braking. If the system determines that the driver has not achieved the necessary deceleration, it automatically performs harder braking. This system has demonstrated the ability to avoid collisions with a stationary vehicle at speeds of up to approximately 60km/h.
Features
Scenario 1: The system supports the driver in performing avoidance maneuvers, so that the driver does not approach conditions that would require sudden braking. When the system judges that deceleration is required, it alerts the driver using both audible and visual warnings, then generates a force that pushes the accelerator pedal up and smoothly applies partial braking to assist the driver in slowing the vehicle down.
Scenario 2: In case the driver does not achieve the necessary deceleration, the system automatically applies harder braking to help avoid a collision. The system has the ability to help avoid collisions at relative speeds of up to approximately 60km/h. At higher speeds, it helps reduces the speed of impact. Before braking, the front-seat seatbelts are tightened to help restrain
passenger movement.
Moving Object Detection (MOD)
Building on the capabilities of Nissan’s Around View Monitor System, which shows the driver a video image of the area surrounding the vehicle, this new function helps the driver avoid a collision by providing visual and audible warnings if the system detects moving objects within the displayed image in situations such as pulling out of a parking space.
System Overview
Using sophisticated image processing technology, the MOD function detects moving objects within the image in a display and provides the driver visual and audible warnings. Before starting off, the system detects moving objects within the “top view”. When starting off or backing up, the system detects moving objects crossing within the “front view” or “rear view”.
System Configuration
The MOD function uses image processing applied to images from the four cameras used by the Around View Monitor System .
