A sense of safety

Engineers are looking to combine radars of different ranges, cameras, and sophisticated controls to prevent collisions.

Active safety will hold the spotlight during the coming decade as vehicle systems make decisions that help avoid crashes. Radar and cameras will provide the input, and sophisticated electronics will determine when to apply the brakes and take over other controls to prevent or reduce damage from collisions.

The drive to expand from luxury vehicles into the mainstream is well under way. Cost cutting is a primary concern, while providing accuracy to prevent false alarms is a critical design issue. One of the first trade-offs engineers have to explore is the type of technology that is likely to be the foremost sensor. For adaptive cruise control and collision avoidance, long-range radars are usually brought into play. But pricing and technology trade-offs add a layer of complexity.