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Ford has developed car-to-car and car-to-infrastructure communications features in the first large-scale testing of its kind, being conducted in Germany, the company said.
Ford's technology plays a major role in the simTD (Safe Intelligent Mobility – Testfield Germany) field test, which involves intelligent systems developed by Ford that allow vehicles to communicate in real time and share information with each other and with the road infrastructure.
The joint research project was started in 2008 and Ford engineers at its European Research Centre in Aachen have been involved in the development of more than 20 to be demonstrated and tested in real world conditions.
Martin Wiecker, research engineer for Ford’s Global Driver Assistance and Active Safety said: “Talking cars are no longer merely the stuff of children’s movies, but are now closer than ever to becoming a reality for Ford drivers.
“Ford has been researching the potential for car-to-car and car-to-infrastructure communications for some time, which potentially offer considerable benefits in terms of safety and convenience for all road users.”
MORE ON THE WAY
Under development at Aachen are an Electronic Brake Light function that alerts a following vehicle when a harsh braking procedure is conducted by the lead vehicle and transmits information on the vehicle position, speed, and the vehicle’s rate of deceleration; Obstacle Warning through which a vehicle can inform other road users of potentially hazardous obstables on the road; and Traffic Sign Assistant programs, while Ford has also developed systems that can transfer messages between cars or between the road infrastructure and vehicles, using wireless communications technology.
Drivers can be given advanced warning of hazards, changing conditions and varying road regulations beyond the driver’s field of vision or the vehicle's sensors such as radar, light detection system or cameras.
Ford engineers are currently researching and developing future applications that will offer more than visual warnings to drivers – priming safety systems and taking accident avoidance measures in response to warnings from other intelligent vehicles.
Many of these developments are not new to the motor industry, although Ford says this is the first large-scale testing of its kind.
Ford's technology plays a major role in the simTD (Safe Intelligent Mobility – Testfield Germany) field test, which involves intelligent systems developed by Ford that allow vehicles to communicate in real time and share information with each other and with the road infrastructure.
The joint research project was started in 2008 and Ford engineers at its European Research Centre in Aachen have been involved in the development of more than 20 to be demonstrated and tested in real world conditions.
Martin Wiecker, research engineer for Ford’s Global Driver Assistance and Active Safety said: “Talking cars are no longer merely the stuff of children’s movies, but are now closer than ever to becoming a reality for Ford drivers.
“Ford has been researching the potential for car-to-car and car-to-infrastructure communications for some time, which potentially offer considerable benefits in terms of safety and convenience for all road users.”
MORE ON THE WAY
Under development at Aachen are an Electronic Brake Light function that alerts a following vehicle when a harsh braking procedure is conducted by the lead vehicle and transmits information on the vehicle position, speed, and the vehicle’s rate of deceleration; Obstacle Warning through which a vehicle can inform other road users of potentially hazardous obstables on the road; and Traffic Sign Assistant programs, while Ford has also developed systems that can transfer messages between cars or between the road infrastructure and vehicles, using wireless communications technology.
Drivers can be given advanced warning of hazards, changing conditions and varying road regulations beyond the driver’s field of vision or the vehicle's sensors such as radar, light detection system or cameras.
Ford engineers are currently researching and developing future applications that will offer more than visual warnings to drivers – priming safety systems and taking accident avoidance measures in response to warnings from other intelligent vehicles.
Many of these developments are not new to the motor industry, although Ford says this is the first large-scale testing of its kind.
