Mercedes-Benz new Active Brake Assist 4 (ABA 4) with pedestrian recognition will be the world’s first emergency braking assistance system in a coach to automatically brake for pedestrians. It will be available on the new generation Tourismo (routeone, Big Story 21 June) from spring 2018.
It is free to customers selecting the autonomous intelligent cruise control option (ART), which provides the necessary radar technology for ABA 4.
Says Head of Development Gustav Tuschen: “It marks a milestone in the development of assistance systems for coaches.”
The system warns the driver visually and audibly of any potential collision with pedestrians, and at the same time automatically triggering partial braking.
This gives the driver every opportunity to prevent a collision with a pedestrian: the driver can warn the pedestrian using the horn, initiate maximum full-stop braking or steer to avoid the collision, says Mercedes-Benz.
Based on new-generation radar technology, which also features in the latest Mercedes-Benz cars, the electronically scanning multi-mode radar comprises long and short-range systems.
The long-range radar registers multi-track vehicles and stationary obstacles at a maximum distance of up to 250m in a direct line in front of the coach, single-track vehicles such as bicycles at up to 160m and pedestrians at up to 80m.
The short-range radar has a maximum range of 70 m and is even able to recognise pedestrians and vehicles to the sides ahead of the coach.
It is an evolution of the existing ABA 3, which already carries out maximum full-stop braking for vehicles ahead and stationary obstacles.