“Be careful on the A8 Stuttgart-Munich autobahn, there is an unsecured accident scene just after Stuttgart airport” – everybody has heard similar traffic reports. There is a high risk of secondary accidents. With innovations such as a small robot that automatically emerges from the rear of the vehicle after an accident or breakdown, and puts out a warning triangle at the roadside, the ESF 2019 shows how securing the scene of traffic hazards might be further improved. Other ideas are a warning triangle that folds out of the vehicle roof at the same time, and the rear window as a communication surface. This can be used to display messages such as “Help is on the way for other road users.
Correct positioning of the warning triangle can be vital for one’s own safety and that of other road users: a driver drawing attention to a traffic hazard at an adequate distance and in good time can prevent potentially serious accidents. In Germany and in most EU countries it is compulsory to carry a warning triangle in the car[1]. ECE Directive R27 defines the requirements for a warning triangle. These include minimum values for visibility by day and night. An ECE-tested warning triangle must also withstand a wind speed of 60 km/h for three minutes.
But how is a warning to be given in the future, when there are also driverless and automated vehicles on the roads? Who will put out the warning triangle in this case? The ESF 2019 gives two possible answers to these questions – alongside car-to-X communication, which is already able to warn other road users electronically:
When a corresponding hazard occurs, a small robot automatically emerges from the rear of the vehicle. The warning triangle is immediately unfolded when the robot leaves the vehicle.
The vehicle’s roof is also fitted with a warning triangle. When the robot leaves the vehicle, this opens out and warns other road users from an easily visible position. As a practical advantage, it is permanently integrated into the roof structure, and cannot be forgotten.
If the ESF 2019 is not driving in automated mode, both functions can also be activated individually by the driver.
At the same time the rear window is used as a communication surface to secure the scene. Messages such as “Help is on the way” can be displayed there, so that other road users do not stop unnecessarily. Further examples of the projection of warnings onto the rear window can be found in the section on cooperative environmental communication.
Please click here to view the full press release.
SOURCE: Daimler
