ZF develops forward collision warning system for city buses

In a bid to help reduce the risk of accidents and injuries both inside and outside of city buses, ZF has developed its first forward collision warning system specifically for these vehicles.

Offering active braking to help avoid frontal collisions with other road users, including vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians, the system also helps safeguard bus passengers from the adverse effects of sudden braking.

ZF claims the solution is the industry’s first OEM independent Collision Mitigation System (CMS) specifically engineered for city bus applications.

The system is compatible with both electric and internal combustion engines. Having already secured business wins from leading bus OEMs, ZF says it will initially launch its City Bus CMS in Europe and, ultimately, plans to roll the system out worldwide.

Philipp Helmich, head of vehicle dynamics product lines with ZF’s Commercial Vehicle Solutions division said the new system “addresses the clear and pressing demand from manufacturers and their customers for ever-higher levels of safety in city traffic”.

“Utilising advanced braking system technology is fundamentally important for safety and autonomous driving, with complex city bus applications providing an interesting and valuable use case,” he added.

Building on ZF’s extensive safety systems expertise, the City Bus CMS draws on its latest OnGuardMAX technology for heavy trucks – with specific features and functionalities that are tailored to city bus applications.

Combining the data from its state-of-the-art camera and radar provides continuous analysis of the traffic situation. If an impending collision is detected, the system can issue a Forward Collision Warning (FCW) and automatically apply the brakes to help mitigate or avoid an accident.

Combined with ZF’s advanced braking capabilities that are precisely calibrated with the vehicle’s speed and weight, the adverse effects of sudden braking on passengers can also be minimised, according to the company.

With seamless interaction between ZF’s ADAS and braking system, brake pressure is carefully applied across the braking cascade making passengers less likely to be jolted and put off-balance.