Even more safety for the buses and coaches from Mercedes‑Benz and Setra. For ten years, the automatic emergency braking assistance system Active Brake Assist has been preventing accidents in touring coaches from Mercedes‑Benz and Setra. Now Daimler Buses is introducing the Active Brake Assist 4 generation (ABA 4) for all touring coaches. ABA 4 now for the first time also automatically initiates a braking manoeuvre for pedestrians in the form of partial braking. ABA 4 will become part of the standard specification of all touring coaches from Mercedes‑Benz and Setra in 2019. City buses in turn benefit from the new Preventive Brake Assist, the first active braking assistance system in this category of vehicles. If there is a critical risk of collision, the system warns the driver and initiates partial braking at the same time. Finally, Mercedes‑Benz and Setra are launching Sideguard Assist, the first turning assistance system for buses and coaches. With these three assistance systems, Mercedes‑Benz and Setra are highlighting their pioneering role in active safety.
Ten years of Active Brake Assist: preventing accidents and saving lives
Preventing accidents and protecting more vulnerable road users – this is the utmost priority in the safety concept of the premium bus and coach brands Mercedes‑Benz and Setra. Active Brake Assist is a prime example. It was the first emergency braking assistance system for buses and coaches when it was introduced ten years ago as an option, and in its fourth generation is now being transferred to all touring coaches from Mercedes-Benz and Setra. At the same time, the performance capabilities of Active Brake Assist was enhanced with each generation. Whilst it at first initiated emergency braking only for moving vehicles ahead, Active Brake Assist 3 already initiated automatic emergency braking for stationary obstacles in addition, and was thereby capable of actively preventing even more accidents. Active Brake Assist was one of the main triggers for the mandatory introduction of automated emergency braking systems in touring coaches from autumn 2015 in the EU.
Active Brake Assist 4: standard for all touring coaches from Mercedes-Benz and Setra
The new Active Brake Assist 4 marks another increase in performance: It is the first emergency braking assistant for buses and coaches to automatically initiate a braking manoeuvre for pedestrians, too. In this case, all options are open to the driver: warn the pedestrian using the horn, evade them with the bus or carry out an emergency stop. The basis for ABA 4 is the multi-mode radar system with a combination of long-range and short-range radar.
Daimler Buses is aware of its responsibility, which is why Active Brake Assist 4 will become standard equipment for Mercedes‑Benz and Setra touring coaches from 2019: from the Mercedes‑Benz Tourismo RHD to the Setra ComfortClass 500 and the TopClass 500 – every touring coach is being equipped with ABA 4. Till Oberwörder, Head of Daimler Buses, enthuses: “By taking this step, we are making our already safe buses and coaches even safer. We are certain that Active Brake Assist 4 will not only prevent accidents, it will save lives.”
Preventive Brake Assist: first active braking assistance for city buses
The same applies to city buses. In Preventive Brake Assist, Mercedes‑Benz introduces the first active emergency braking assist system ever for city buses as a world première. The new assistance system warns of a potential collision with moving pedestrians as well as with stationary or moving objects, and automatically initiates partial braking if there is a critical risk of collision. The warning cascade and the braking intervention are designed for operations in city traffic.This is why Preventive Brake Assist intentionally does not perform automatic emergency stops. This reduces the risk of injury for passengers in the bus, in particular for standing passengers. The driver still has the option of an emergency stop at any time.
Preventive Brake Assist is available as an option for the entire model family of the Mercedes‑Benz Citaro, including the CapaCity large-capacity bus. Preventive Brake Assist is also optionally available for the range of the Mercedes‑Benz Conecto city buses.
Sideguard Assist: first turning assistance system for city buses and touring coaches
Turning right in city traffic is among the least unpleasant tasks for drivers, as they are required to heed traffic lights and signs ahead while simultaneously observing oncoming and crossing traffic and keeping an eye on pedestrians and bicyclists to the side. In addition, the traffic situation can change in a matter of seconds, and cyclists and pedestrians are not always aware that a bus driver may possibly not be able to see them. With this in mind, Mercedes‑Benz and Setra are now the first bus and coach brands to offer the optional turning assistance system Sideguard Assist with pedestrian detection. Mercedes‑Benz offers it for the city bus Citaro in all versions including the large-capacity bus CapaCity and for the high-deck touring coach Tourismo. Setra offers it for its touring coaches of the ComfortClass 500 and TopClass 500 including the Setra S 531 DT double-decker bus.
Sideguard Assist operates in several stages: If there is a moving object in the side monitoring zone, the driver is given a visual warning. On the touring coaches, an LED in the shape of a yellow triangle lights up at the driver’s eye level in the side mirror on the co-driver’s side and in the instrument cluster. On the Citaro, it is integrated into the A0-pillar on the door side. The lamp draws the driver’s attention intuitively towards the situation alongside the vehicle. If the sensors detect the risk of a collision, there is an additional visual warning in the form of a red triangular LED, as well as a vibration warning in the driver’s seat. The centrepiece of Sideguard Assist is a radar sensor system with two short-range radar sensors on the co-driver side. They are located in the trim immediately aft of the right front wheel. The side monitoring zone has a width of 3.75 m. On the city bus, the system covers the entire length of the bus, complemented by two strips to the front and rear of about two metres each. On the touring coach, in addition to the entire length of the vehicle, an area of five metres in front of and up to 15 metres behind the bus is always covered.
Both Active Brake Assist 4 and Sideguard Assist were presented by Daimler Buses as a world première in 2017 at the launch of the new Setra S 531 DT double-decker bus. The two assistance systems are now transferred to other models series of the Mercedes‑Benz and Setra brands.
