Press Release
Page 1 ??????????????????????????????????????? Intro
Page 2 ??????????????????????????????????????? Safety Devices
Page 3 ??????????????????????????????????????? Lane Departure Warning
Page 4 ??????????????????????????????????????? RoadPreview
Page 5 ??????????????????????????????????????? Network Camera System
Page 6 ??????????????????????????????????????? Remote Park Assist
Page 7 ??????????????????????????????????????? Car2x
Page 8 ??????????????????????????????????????? Remote Vehicle Control
Page 9 ??????????????????????????????????????? Custom Radio
Page 10 ??????????????????????????????????????? Driving Simulator
Page 11 ??????????????????????????????????????? Usability Lab
Page 12 ??????????????????????????????????????? EMC Hall
Page 13 ??????????????????????????????????????? Prototyping Platform
Page 14 ??????????????????????????????????????? BMW CAR IT MMI
Page 15 ??????????????????????????????????????? AUTOSAR Partnership
Lane Departure Warning
Maximum Attention on Long Distances
Safe motoring in style means maintaining maximum attention also on long distances. And this is precisely why BMW Group engineers have developed an assistance system helping the driver to avoid situations where they begin to lose their attention and awareness. Lane Departure Warning therefore informs the driver in good time of any unattended deviation from the car??????????????????????????????????????s proper course, telling the driver through clear signals to countersteer and move back in the desired direction. This serves to avoid driving errors resulting from lack of concentration on traffic conditions.
Camera keeping an ???????????????????????????????????eye???????????????????????????????? on the road.
The Lane Departure Warning is provided by a camera featuring CMOS technology, a control unit comparing and coordinating data, and a signal generator making the steering wheel vibrate when appropriate. Fitted appropriately in the middle of the windscreen in the area of the interior rear-view mirror, the camera covers the area in front of the car up to a distance of 50 metres or 165 feet, and generates high-resolution images. The camera ???????????????????????????????????sees???????????????????????????????? road lane markings on either side of the lane the driver is taking and thus transfers the data required for determining the ideal line straight to the control unit. The system even works at night, with the camera being able to register lane markings within the headlight beam.
The camera is permanently calibrated in an automatic process as the car proceeds, thus keeping a safe eye on the lane the driver is following both on straight stretches of the road and in bends. And at the same time the system is able to look ahead, distinguishing between insignificant and potentially dangerous deviations off the right course along the lane covered by the camera and the actual progress of the car. The criterion for generating a warning signal in all cases is the time that still remains when continuing along the same course until the car crosses the lane marking.
Incorporating these features and operating as described, the Lane Departure Warning developed by the BMW Group informs the driver in good time of any deviation from the right course, thus enabling him to complete the steering manoeuvres required early enough without a problem. Then, once the driver has made the correction required or the system has reached its maximum warning period, the vibration signal on the steering wheel is discontinued.
Another special feature of this system presented by the BMW Group is its speed-related function reflecting the principle that a car travelling at a higher speed requires greater precision in steering manoeuvres. At moderate speeds, therefore, a warning signal is generated as soon as the car exceeds a minimum distance to the lane marking. This minimum distance is then kept within an increasingly strict limit as the speed of the car increases, thus giving the driver adequate time to correct his course even at high speeds on the Autobahn.
Vibrations on the steering wheel: discreet but clear.
The vibration signal on the steering wheel is geared in its character and features to the concept and philosophy of driver assistance applied by the BMW Group. Contrary to an acoustic warning, this signal is perceived exclusively by the driver, and not by the other occupants of the car. A further point is that this touch feedback is provided exactly where it is intended to generate the appropriate response: on the steering wheel. Precisely this is where the driver receives the right intuitive command telling him to take appropriate action.
Like other BMW Group driver assistance systems, Lane Departure Warning also performs a supporting and warning function. The actual process of taking corrective action thus remains appropriately with the driver, who nevertheless benefits at the same time from such advanced technology in judging the situation.
A further point is that Lane Departure Warning provides its special advantage in situations requiring a high level of concentration because the driver might be distracted by something happening next to the road or by one of the other occupants in the car.
System distinguishing between intended and unintended change in course.
The driver activates the Lane Departure Warning at the touch of a button, a display in the instrument cluster between the speedometer and rev counter informing the driver that the system is operative.
Lane Departure Warning is intended above all for long-distance motoring and, accordingly, for use on overland routes and motorways. Hence, it only becomes active at speeds significantly above the permitted speed limits in town or built-up areas.
A further point is that the signal is directly linked to the direction indicator. Once the driver has set the direction indicator, therefore, for example to change lanes or his direction in general, the warning signal otherwise generated when crossing a lane is automatically suppressed. This avoids irritating, unwanted signals, for example when taking a bend or overtaking another vehicle.
The system is also able to distinguish between intentional and unintentional lane and directional change in other situations. Whenever the lanes become narrower or move sideways, for example in roadworks on the motorway, the driver often has no choice but to drive over a marking line in order to follow provisional lanes marked with additional lines. Again, therefore, Lane Departure Warning also registers such an exception, not interpreting the intersection of several lines on the road shortly behind one another as a definite lane marking.
In this case, the Cockpit Display again indicates that the system has been temporarily deactivated, also giving the driver a clear signal to watch out in such an unpredictable traffic situation and maintain a higher level of awareness.
