All-New Ford Mondeo Pre-Collision Assist

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Available new technology from Ford – Pre-Collision Assist with Pedestrian Detection – is designed to reduce the severity of and, in some cases, even eliminate frontal collisions involving pedestrians

Pre-Collision Assist with Pedestrian Detection – debuting on the 2015 Ford Mondeo in Australia – provides a collision warning to the driver and, if the driver does not respond in time, can automatically apply the vehicle brakes

Other available Ford driver-assist technologies include lane-keeping system with Lane-Keeping Aid, Blind Spot Information System (BLIS®), Adaptive Cruise Control with Forward Collision Warning and brake support and Enhanced Active Park Assist

MELBOURNE, 8 Apr., 2015 – Ford is rolling out a new driver-assist system in the all-new Mondeo that can reduce the severity of or even eliminate some frontal collisions involving vehicles and pedestrians.

The Mondeo Trend and Titanium models come standard with Active City Stop and Pre-Collision Assist with Pedestrian Detection, which along with Inflatable Rear Seatbelts, makes the Mondeo the most-advanced Ford vehicle available in Australia today.

The system uses radar and camera technology to scan the roadway ahead and, if a collision risk with a vehicle or pedestrian is detected, provides a warning to the driver.

If the driver does not respond in time, the system can automatically apply up to full braking force to help reduce the severity of or even eliminate some frontal collisions. Pre-Collision Assist may help drivers avoid rear end collisions with other vehicles at all speeds, while Pedestrian Detection can help the driver avoid pedestrians at lower speeds – both may reduce the severity of forward collisions or even prevent certain forward collisions.

“This technology adds to the already impressive list of safety and collision-assist technologies in the all-new Mondeo, which include the inflatable rear seatbelts and Emergency Assistance as standard across the range,” said David Katic, Ford General Manager Marketing.

Detecting Pedestrians
While the new system may be especially helpful in unexpected situations, it does not replace the driver and has limitations including night-time, low and harsh lighting conditions, vehicles moving in a different direction and certain weather conditions.
Detecting pedestrians in daylight and clear weather conditions, the new technology may detect people in or near the road ahead, or pedestrians crossing the vehicle’s path. If a pedestrian is detected in front of the car and a collision is imminent, the driver first receives an audible and visual warning.

Should the driver not respond, the system improves brake responsiveness by reducing the gap between brake pads and discs. If there is still no response from the driver, the brakes are applied automatically and vehicle speed is reduced.

The system processes information collected from a windshield-mounted camera and radar located near the bumper; it then checks the information against a database of pedestrian shapes to help distinguish people from typical roadside scenery and objects.

Ford engineers tested the system on closed test tracks using rigs fitted with manikins to replicate pedestrians. They then spent months refining the technology on roads around the world to test system reliability.

This real-world testing was an important part of the development, because pedestrians in an urban setting can present a wide range of potential situations. Ford covered more than 500,000 km on three continents that included a wide range of settings and situations.

Other driver-assist technologies available in the Ford Mondeo include Lane Keeping Aid, Blind Spot Information System (BLIS®), Adaptive Cruise Control, Pre-Collision Warning with brake support, and Enhanced Active Park Assist.

Source: Ford Media