NASHVILLE Tenn., Feb. 28, 2016 – Kenworth is making the Bendix Wingman Fusion driver assistance system available for the Kenworth T680 and T880.
Bendix Wingman Fusion integrates and advances a proven suite of Bendix safety technologies – radar, camera, the vehicle’s brake system, and SafetyDirect by Bendix CVS – into a comprehensive driver assistance system.
Built on the Bendix, ESP full stability program, Wingman Fusion offers enhanced collision mitigation, lane departure warning, stationary vehicle braking, and overspeed alert and action. This combination typically enables the system to assess a situation faster and react earlier, alerting the driver and decreasing the vehicle’s speed by up to twice as much, while also reducing instances of false alerts and false interventions.
“This system is designed to help drivers keep their trips safe and uneventful, and do it with minimal interference,” said Jason Skoog, Kenworth assistant general manager for sales and marketing. “Bendix Wingman Fusion can help drivers maintain safe distances, mitigate collisions with other motorists who change lanes suddenly, and safely operate in rapidly changing and difficult-to-see conditions like snow, rain, fog, dust or smoke.”
When the system’s radar, Bendix Wingman Advanced, detects a large stationary object in the truck’s lane of travel, the Wingman Fusion compares the data from the radar with images from its forward-looking cameras to determine in a split second whether the object in the road is a vehicle. If the system determines the object is a stationary vehicle, it alerts the driver with an audio sound and visual graphics on the Bendix driver interface unit. If the driver fails to take action to address the situation, the system can then engage the brakes to assist the driver in helping to avoid a collision or lessen the severity. If the system cannot determine whether the object is a stationary vehicle, it provides the driver audible and visual alerts, but does not engage the brakes.
The system also uses its camera – powered by the Mobileye System-on-Chip EyeQ processor with state-of-the-art vision algorithms – to read posted speed limit signs and to constantly monitor the truck’s speed. If the driver operates more than 5 mph above the posted speed limit, the system can be set to provide the driver an audible alert. If the driver goes 10 mph over the speed limit, the system provides an audible alert and then a 1-second dethrottle of the engine to get the driver’s attention.
The fleet can also integrate the driver assistance system with Bendix SafetyDirect, a web-based program that offers fleet operators videos of severe events, along with comprehensive fleet and driver feedback. The optional program also allows fleets to observe real-time driver performance data and event-based information for analysis and training. “By employing Bendix Wingman Fusion, along with SafetyDirect, fleets can use alerts and interventions, plus insights from the system to help drivers make safer choices,” Skoog said.
Bendix Wingman Fusion features alert prioritization. If multiple system alerts are triggered simultaneously, such as a lane departure warning and impact alert, Wingman Fusion arranges the alerts in order of importance and first delivers the more crucial one to the driver to minimize driver distraction.
“The system’s combination of technologies provides our customers with a collision avoidance system to help reduce the chances of drivers experiencing false alerts or activations,” Skoog said. “The Wingman Fusion also provides fleets opportunities to better understand what’s happening out there on the road and reduce overspeeding incidents.”
According to Bendix, driver assistance technologies – such as Bendix Wingman Fusion – are designed to complement safe drivers, safe driving practices, and proactive driver training programs, not replace them. Responsibility for the safe operation of the vehicle remains with the driver at all times.
Kenworth Truck Company is a PACCAR company and the manufacturer of The World’s Best® heavy and medium duty trucks. Kenworth’s Internet home page is at Kenworth.com.