LIVONIA, Mich. — TRW Automotive Holdings Corp. unveiled its Collision Mitigation Braking (CMB) technology, which provides drivers with additional braking support in the event of an imminent collision with a moving or stationary object. The system is primarily designed for urban driving conditions including heavy traffic.

The system uses a radar sensor to directly measure the distance and relative speed to objects in front of the host vehicle. If a potential collision is identified, a warning is triggered to alert the driver; this warning can be audible, visual or haptic. If the driver does not react to the warning and the system determines that a collision is likely to occur, a certain amount of brake pressure can be applied automatically to slow the vehicle and reduce the severity of the impact.

If the driver does respond to the warning and depresses the brake pedal, the brake system will automatically provide maximum brake boost to slow the vehicle as quickly as possible and mitigate the collision. With the development of TRW's 24GHz radar, this technology is now more affordable than ever.

Dr. Alois Seewald, director engineering for integrated active and passive safety technologies at TRW, said, "Radar has, until now, been regarded as a luxury option, but TRW's AC100 24 GHz product is roughly half the price of 77GHz radar, bringing the benefits of advanced safety, such as Collision Mitigation Braking for city driving to a wider vehicle market.

"The breadth of feature offerings, combined with the fact that radar technology can operate in all weather conditions, makes 24GHz radar an ideal choice for vehicle manufacturers, compared to alternative technologies such as Lidar-based systems that offer limited functionality and diminished performance in poor weather due to the need for a clear optical path."

CMB technology has been designed with city traffic and traffic jams in mind. It is applied at close distance (6-7 meters or 20-23 feet) where a 20 kph (12.4 mph) speed reduction by braking, with limited deceleration, can be achieved before the potential crash. Generally speaking, if relative speed to the approaching object is below 20kph, the function works to help avoid the collision, if it is above 20 kph, the system will help to mitigate the impact of the collision.

Dr. Seewald said, "A great deal of crash reducing potential is associated with systems such as Collision Mitigation Braking. The challenge for automotive suppliers is to develop such systems for the full range of vehicle segments and markets — to make this key safety technology available for all drivers and to ultimately assist in reducing the number of road fatalities.

"We strongly believe that everyone deserves the best possible safety solutions and are working with our customers to make this vision a reality. Making such systems affordable is also important as international governments seek to regulate these technologies. This approach is key to our Cognitive Safety Systems strategy."