Working with Mercedes-Benz Truck customer driver test team, GLSG Gersthofer Logistik- und Speditionsgesellschaft mbH is launching a pioneering test program using a specially equipped Mercedes-Benz Actros. These everyday use tests focus primarily on assistance systems that will be launched on the market in a wide range of Daimler Truck trucks and buses from 2024 onwards. The main areas of interest are the Active Brake Assist 6, the new Frontguard Assist, Active Sideguard Assist 2, Active Drive Assist 3 and Traffic Sign Assist. One thing is certain: assistance systems must be comprehensively tested before they can enter series production.
The systems have already been extensively trialled at the Daimler Truck development and testing centre in Wörth am Rhein in preparation for this program. High-tech test equipment was used to minutely explore the limits of the various safety features in terms of driving dynamics. Furthermore, up to 60 Daimler Truck vehicles undergo endurance testing throughout the year around the world. The total distance travelled during the validation of the new systems before the first customer rollout will be around five million kilometres between 2020 and the end of 2023.
All this collected experience will now be integrated into the customer tests before the vehicles are released on the market. One partner involved is Roman Mayer Logistik Group from Gersthofen, compnay owner Roman Mayer says: “We are delighted with this relationship of mutual trust and welcome the opportunity for our drivers to give their feedback directly to Mercedes-Benz Trucks. We hope this will enable us to make a significant contribution to improving the performance of the trucks.”
The test truck is equipped with a special switch that can be pressed by drivers (who will, of course, have been suitably trained beforehand) if the vehicle does not respond as expected, if problems occur or if they can suggest an improvement. The information sent from the vehicle is then checked by the engineers at Daimler Truck and the recorded camera images and vehicle data are evaluated.
The truck is also equipped with extra cameras in addition to the MirrorCams. This makes it possible to understand the precise situation when analysing the recordings. For example, if Active Sideguard Assist (ASGA) 2 reacts if there is a pedestrian or cyclist next to the vehicle when making a right turn. Or how Active Drive Assist (ADA) 3 automatically guides the truck back into its lane if the driver wants to pull out to the left and overtake, for example, but has not noticed a vehicle approaching from behind. The new Frontguard Assist can also give the driver visual and acoustic warnings about unprotected road users directly in front of the truck, especially in busy traffic, such as when pulling away or at junctions. In combination with ABA6, it can even react autonomously by braking automatically in the event of an impending collision.
These systems go beyond the legal requirements in many areas showing that Daimler Truck is once again setting new standards for safety. The new 270-degree fusion technology of the sensors generates an almost complete panoramic monitoring field around the vehicle, providing even better protection, particularly for more vulnerable road users.
The test phase will be closely supervised by the Mercedes-Benz Truck customer driver test team and will continue until the start of series production. During the test phase, the truck in question will be used within the GLSG local transport area. A wide range of everyday situations can be evaluated in detail from the perspective of a professional driver thanks to built-in measurement technology and constant contact with the driver.
SOURCE: Daimler Truck
