YOKOHAMA (July 28, 2010) - Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. today announced its "Forward Collision Avoidance Assist Concept," a new technology designed to address both sides of potential rear end collisions: helping a driver avoid hitting the vehicle ahead in a lane of travel, while also helping reduce the potential risk of sudden braking - being rear-ended by a vehicle approaching from behind. The new system has the capability of avoiding possible collisions at forward speeds of up to approximately 60kph, the highest speed ever for forward collision avoidance systems.
The concept utilizes a highly sensitive radar sensor to monitor the distance from the vehicle in front and its relative speed.
When the system judges that deceleration is required, it alerts the driver using both a screen display and sound, then generates a force that pushes the accelerator pedal up and smoothly applies partial braking to assist the driver in slowing the vehicle down.
If the system judges that there is the possibility of a collision, it will automatically apply harder braking and tighten the driver's seatbelt.
The new "Forward Collision Avoidance Assist Concept" detects the vehicle in front at an earlier stage and generates warnings so that the driver can take action to keep away from a high risk situation. Because the system is designed to help the driver decelerate smoothly, it is also expected to help reduce the risk of the vehicle being rear-ended by another vehicle approaching from behind.
Nissan is promoting the development of safety technologies as part of its "Safety Shield" concept, based on the idea that "vehicles help to protect people." From the viewpoint that the driver is always the main subject of driving, Nissan places emphasis on assisting the driver intuitively through means such as visual and audio notifications.
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