Industry News
Driver Assistance Systems by Bosch in the New Audi Q7
By source: Robert Bosch Corporation
Aug 21, 2005, 17:52

· Adaptive cruise control ACCplus for the entire speed range
· Predictive Collision Warning (PCW) warns of rear-end collisions

The systems Bosch supplies for the new Audi Q7 include the optimised adaptive cruise control ACCplus and the innovative, forward-looking safety system called Predictive Collision Warning. Drivers of the new luxury SUV can thus benefit from an immediately perceivable increase in safety and comfort.

Supporting the entire speed range in a traffic jam
The conventional ACC system detects vehicles travelling in front, computes their speed and maintains the adequate safety distance by automatically controlling braking and engine speed. As soon as there is no longer a slower vehicle within the measuring range, the system accelerates the car back to the pre-selected speed. In contrast to the previous generations the new ACCplus system by Bosch as installed in the Audi Q7 also operates at travelling speeds below 30 km/h and all the way down to complete standstill. Even at crawling speed it maintains the safety distance to the vehicle ahead and automatically slows down the car in stop-and-go traffic, if necessary right down to a complete stop. The driver receives a visual and acoustic signal as soon as the car in front moves off again. To follow that car, the driver only needs to touch the ACC control switch on the steering wheel briefly or push the accelerator slightly. Hence ACCplus offers particularly useful assistance in bumper-to-bumper traffic and traffic jams. Of course the driver can override the system at any time and accelerate or slow down the car on his own.



Predictive safety system warns of imminent rear-end collisions
The Audi Q7 also features the Predictive Collision Warning (PCW) system by Bosch, the next level of the PSS (Predictive Safety Systems) series of forward-looking safety systems. If the ACC's radar sensor identifies a critical traffic situation, PCW issues a warning in good time, enabling the driver to respond more quickly. In many cases a collision can thus be avoided. For this purpose, the system can generate a short yet noticeable braking pulse, for example. Furthermore, PCW can activate reversible protection systems such as the electrical belt tensioners for the vehicle's occupants. For the time being, however, the first PSS evolution takes action. In critical situations the so-called PBA function (Predictive Brake Assist) applies the brake pads to the brake disks without the driver even noticing it; thus the brake assist gets prepared for a potential emergency-braking manoeuvre. If the driver then pushes the brake pedal, valuable fractions of a second can be gained in applying the maximum braking effect. Bosch plans a third stage of development of the Predictive Safety Systems where an additional, fully automatic emergency-braking manoeuvre with maximum deceleration of the car will be triggered if a collision cannot be avoided. This contributes to mitigating the consequences of the impact.

Further components supplied by Bosch for the Audi Q7 include the third-generation common-rail Diesel injection system with Piezo in-line injectors, pencil-type glow plugs, the starter, the electronic energy management system for the on-board network, the throttle device and the engine management system for spark-ignition engines as well as parts of the sensor system.

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