Press Release
Page???????????????????????????????????????? 1 - Overview
Page???????????????????????????????????????? 2 - Control concept
Page???????????????????????????????????????? 3 - Design
Page???????????????????????????????????????? 4 - History of S-Class controls
Page???????????????????????????????????????? 5 - Ergonomics test bench
Page???????????????????????????????????????? 6 - Virtual Reality Center
Page???????????????????????????????????????? 7 - Support Systems
Page???????????????????????????????????????? 8 - Brake Assist PLUS
Page???????????????????????????????????????? 9 - PRE-SAFE
Page 10 - Adaptive brake light
Page 11 - DISTRONIC PLUS
Page 12 - Night View Assist
Page 13 - Parking Assist
Page 14 - Seat Technology
The history of automobile controls illustrated by the S-Class
At the highest level
- From the "grease trumpet" to voice control
- From the segmented speedometer to the colour display
- From the slide adjuster to sensor control
Men who were able to drive the Mercedes Simplex 40 hp of 1902 were in very great demand at that time. One of them, Wilhelm Werner, even rose to become chauffeur to the German emperor Wilhelm II. The job was definitely very exclusive, but required a great deal of know-how. To start the Mercedes Simplex, a powerfully built assistant first had to turn the crank below the radiator while the driver used a lever by the steering wheel to adjust the fuel/air mixture and a second lever to adjust the ignition timing. Prior to this, he needed to operate the hand pump for the fuel and lubricant tank on the left side of the dashboard, while monitoring the pressure increase shown by a manometer.
And that was not all: in front of the driver there were no less than eleven glass tubes with plungers, which enabled him to supply the various engine bearings with lubricant - the so-called "grease trumpet". Once he had checked and operated all the instruments, he was able to depress the clutch, engage first gear in the external shift gate and finally drive off.
In order to prepare drivers for this truly complex working environment, the former Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft in Stuttgart-Untert??????????????????rkheim offered training courses specifically for Mercedes chauffeurs. These courses came close to the training given to mechanics.
This scenario, a nightmare in terms of today??????????????????????????????????????s ergonomic awareness, was the root of a conflict of aims in automobile development. For the increase in technical innovations whose functions needed to be shown, monitored and controlled on the dashboard was accompanied by a commensurate increase in the driver??????????????????????????????????????s workload - and the risk of being distracted from the traffic situation. Designing more uniform and clearly arranged instruments and controls therefore became a safety factor. The Mercedes-Benz 680 Model S of 1927 took a very large step in this direction, as its electric starter and inside gearshift considerably simplified the procedure for starting and moving off. This luxury car also had the benefit of a windscreen wiper, though only for the driver??????????????????????????????????????s side of the windscreen. The driver set the unit in motion by means of a rocker switch on the dashboard to obtain a better view of the road.
1954: Not a trace of ergonomics
The post-war period and the 50s were a time of new departures, and this was also obvious in the interior of Mercedes Saloons. For example, the legendary W 180-series Ponton Mercedes, (the nickname Ponton ??????????????????????????????????????? German for pontoon ??????????????????????????????????????? being a reference to the body structure of this, the first car to have a self-supporting or unitary body) entered the lists with a considerably more tidy dashboard in 1954. The science of ergonomics was nonetheless still in its infancy, as witness the location of the pull-switch for the windscreen wipers. It was placed on the upper edge of the dashboard, to the left of the ashtray. This put it firmly within the driver??????????????????????????????????????s field of vision, but out of his reach: he was obliged to take one hand off the wheel and lean forward to switch the wipers on or off.
The heating and ventilation system was just as awkward to operate. The separate sliding controls for the driver and front passenger were located on the outside areas of the dashboard. This meant that the driver was unable to regulate the ventilation for the passenger side of the windscreen.
1959: Segmented speedometer in a vertical position
In 1959 Mercedes-Benz took a major step forward where operating convenience was concerned. The Mercedes-Benz 220 SE (model series W 112) ??????????????????????????????????????? also known as the "tailfin" because of its striking rear-end design ??????????????????????????????????????? marked a new departure into modern-day ergonomics. The principle was to accommodate more controls in a smaller area by means of convincing design solutions.
The centrepiece of the cockpit was an instrument cluster directly in front of the steering wheel which was vertically positioned directly in the driver??????????????????????????????????????s field of vision. This combined a segmented speedometer consisting of a rotating, coloured bar, which turned from green to orange and finally red depending on the speed, with telltale lamps for the indicators, a thermometer, fuel gauge, main beam indicator lamp and a white warning lamp for the parking brake. The sliding controls for the heating and ventilation system ??????????????????????????????????????? including those for the front passenger side ??????????????????????????????????????? had now been moved to the centre, next to the instrument cluster. The driver still had to operate the main-beam switch and windscreen washer system with his foot, however.
1965: Premiere of the combination switch for the indicators and wipers
The W 108 S-Class series of 1965 started a new era where the control concept was concerned. Instead of by a segmented speedometer with a coloured scale, the driver was now kept informed by clearly arranged dial instruments, and for the first time he was able to operate the indicators, headlamp flasher and windscreen wipers using a single lever mounted on the steering column. A slight nudge was enough to set the wipers in motion, and it was also possible to select two wiper speeds ??????????????????????????????????????? the beginnings of the combination switch which has since become a typical Mercedes feature.
The heating, ventilation and fan controls were also more easily accessible in the 1960s S-Class than in the preceding series, though the company still clung to the ergonomically unfavourable sliding controls.
1972: Dashboard now with a centre console
The continuous increase in onboard systems for more safety and operating comfort also required new ergonomic solutions, as the S-Class of 1972 showed (model series W 116). The typical Mercedes rotary/pull switch for low beam remained on the left, next to the steering column, but for the first time there was a console for the sliding controls for the heating and ventilation below the dashboard. The radio had also been moved downwards, which made the very generously equipped dashboard look very much more tidy. The combination switch on the steering column for the windscreen wipers, indicators and headlamp flasher was improved further, with a more attractive shape and easier access than in the preceding series.
1979: Rotary controls and pictogram switches for electric seat adjustment
For the W 126-series S-Class of 1979 the designers took the idea of a centre console even further, now including a console on the transmission tunnel between the front seats which provided additional stowage space and room for more switches. In the 280 S, for example, the centre console accommodated various controls for the air conditioning system ??????????????????????????????????????? rotary controls to select the required temperatures for both the driver and front passenger side, as well as prominent rotary switches for the fan speed and air distribution. The sliding controls which had held sway for several decades were finally killed off.
The S-Class of 1979 also sported an exemplary ergonomic feature in the interior door trim, namely seat adjustment by means of pictogram-like controls depicting a seat cushion and backrest, facilitating individual adjustment of the cushion angle, backrest angle and fore-and-aft position. This control feature has since been used in every Mercedes passenger car equipped with electric seat adjustment.
1991: Even more switches and buttons
The breathtaking advances in microelectronics that revolutionised automotive technology during the 1980s ??????????????????????????????????????? with more and more control parameters for engine management, ride comfort and safety being registered by sensors and fed into the onboard circuitry without any driver involvement ??????????????????????????????????????? also made themselves felt in the vehicle interior. Since miniaturisation had also made it easier to display functions, the engineers opted for the greatest possible density of information in the cockpit and on the dashboard. The result was a large number of controls.
In this respect, Mercedes-Benz surpassed itself with the W 140-series S-Class of 1991. Numerous rocker and rotary switches offered the driver a host of control functions ??????????????????????????????????????? and added to his workload. No less than six adjustment wheels were provided to control the fresh air and heating vents, while the control unit for the automatic climate control system featured a further 13 buttons. Switches for the heated seats, exterior mirror adjustment, rear window blind, power windows, heated rear window, rear head restraints and other functions were crowded onto the centre console and tunnel covering. Six buttons were relocated to an overhead control panel, where the driver and front passenger were able to operate the interior lights and sliding sunroof.
On the other hand, modern microelectronics also made a new form of vehicle operation possible: voice control. The W 140-series S-Class of 1996 was the first car in the world to obey the driver??????????????????????????????????????s every word ??????????????????????????????????????? at least when operating the car telephone. With the invention of LINGUATRONIC Mercedes-Benz made a further important contribution to road safety, as drivers no longer need to take their hands off the wheel to operate the telephone. Voice-controlled telephone operation merely requires the user to speak the relevant commands and the number to be dialled. Today Mercedes customers have the option of voice control for the audio and navigation systems as well.
1998: New control concept with multifunction steering wheel and COMAND
It was not only the large number of vehicle functions, but also the rapid advances in new information, navigation and entertainment systems that required a rethink where vehicle controls were concerned. The aim of Mercedes engineers during the development of the W 220-series S-Class of 1998 was to lighten the driver??????????????????????????????????????s workload significantly, so that he could concentrate on what was really important: the traffic situation and the driving experience. So that operating convenience and safety ideally complemented each other.
To realise this aim the engineers at Mercedes developed the principle of auto-adaptive ergonomics. This refers to the almost completely intervention-free self-adaptation of technical functions, with the aim of reducing the driver??????????????????????????????????????s workload even further. Accordingly the S-Class of 1998 was the first to offer functions which adapted themselves to the prevailing environmental conditions ??????????????????????????????????????? for example with the help of sensors which automatically activated the windscreen wipers when it rained, switched on the headlamps when darkness fell or kept the interior temperature constant in any weather conditions.
But the S-Class also set an example for operating comfort in other respects. A new multifunction steering wheel as standard equipment enabled the driver to access numerous systems by thumb pressure. The steering wheel was linked to the radio, car telephone and a display in the centre of the instrument cluster which featured up to eight main menus depending on the level of equipment. In each of these main menus the driver was able to scroll backwards and forwards between various detailed functions, access information and programme settings to adapt the convenience and display functions to his personal requirements. Once stored, these entries always operated in the background and needed no further action or input.
In 1998 a newly developed system also celebrated its premiere in the centre console: COMAND, the "Cockpit Management and Data System". This combined the radio, telephone operation, cassette player, navigation system and TV tuner in a single housing. The visible centrepiece of this multifunctional system was a 12-centimetre LCD colour display showing all the control functions and other information. Its non-visible backup was a 32-bit processor which controlled all these functions. The driver or front passenger were able to select the different systems by pressing buttons above the colour display, with further operation mainly via a combined rotary/push button. Rotating this button highlighted different menu items in the display whose function was then activated by pressing the control button.
With its multifunction steering wheel, central display and COMAND, the S-Class of 1998 set the scene for the future where vehicle controls were concerned. These new systems not only offered new functions and possibilities, but also improved the interaction between man and machine as a major precondition for safety, comfort and driving pleasure.
