Assistance systems reach the compact class

* Emergency brake assist provides safety, and adaptive cruise control makes driving more comfortable
* Sales of radar and video sensors are skyrocketing
* Bosch supplies assistance technology for the new Volkswagen Golf

As the driver’s gaze drifts to the left, the car keeps rolling forward. In the very same moment, the vehicle ahead comes to a sudden stop. While the driver does not notice the impending danger, the Bosch emergency brake assist does, and brings the car to a stop in the nick of time.

The predictive emergency braking function is just one of many assistance technologies that Bosch, being one of the leading automotive suppliers worldwide, offers. The electronics help preserve a safe distance between vehicles. In critical situations, they can warn drivers and brake automatically. At night, the vehicle electronics provide optimum automotive lighting outside city limits – and they do so fully automatically. All this makes driving a safer and more pleasant experience.

For many years, automatic assistance systems were to the preserve of premium-segment vehicle models. However, the technology has now reached vehicles in the compact class. For instance, Bosch has supplied the radar and video sensors for the new Volkswagen Golf.

“With its assistance systems in the new Golf, Bosch has brought safety and comfort to the masses,” says Gerhard Steiger, president of the Bosch Chassis Systems Control division. The sales figures for modern environment sensors clearly illustrate this. Such sensors form the basis of predictive assistance systems, as they monitor the vehicle’s surroundings. From 2011 to 2012 alone, the number of sensors sold around the world more than doubled. And drivers are benefiting from this trend: as a result of mass production, prices have decreased, and more buyers of new vehicles can afford the electronic helpers. In turn, as the sensors become more widespread, the accident risk for all road users will diminish.

Assistance systems become noticeably active in critical situations. For instance, the Bosch emergency brake assist alarms the driver as soon as danger becomes apparent. If the driver fails to react to its acoustic warning, it briefly hits the brakes, and then partially brakes automatically. If an accident can no longer be avoided, full automatic braking can, at the very least, reduce impact speed. The sensor data can be used to precisely adapt the braking force to the danger at hand. At speeds of less than 30 kilometers per hour, however, there is no multi-stage braking strategy. This saves time, and makes it possible to effectively avoid accidents.

Another example is the Bosch adaptive cruise control. The driver sets the vehicle’s speed as always. The car not only maintains the speed, it brakes and accelerates automatically – and can bring the car to a complete halt. In vehicles equipped with automatic transmission, it can even move off on its own following a short stop. With adaptive cruise control, the only thing the driver has to do is steer. All this is made possible by a radar sensor that keeps precise track of the distance to the vehicles ahead.

The multi-purpose camera is another decisive provider of information. It films what is happening up to a range of 120 meters in front of the car. Powerful software analyzes the flow of images at lightning speed. For instance, it recognizes road markings that are important for lane departure warning assistance. If a vehicle approaches the curb line, steering can be gently corrected to automatically guide the vehicle back to the middle of the lane. Road sign recognition functions can also draw on the video sensor data. Comparing these with information from the vehicle’s navigation system means drivers can be warned of speed limits and areas in which overtaking is not allowed. The high beam assistant and dynamic light control functions also use data from the Bosch video camera, which provides the information required to ensure the best possible view without dazzling oncoming drivers.

Assistance and much more
In addition to safety and comfort features, the new Volkswagen Golf is equipped with a number of other Bosch technologies, including the car’s diesel injection system, its engine control unit, injection valves for gasoline direct injection, the start-stop system, the alternator, the wiper system, and the engine’s cooling fan, as well as a broad range of sensors.

Additional YouTube links:
Bosch predictive emergency braking system:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHR8AeZrlVc
Bosch Adaptive Cruise Control:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=own_VaRZ9M8

Automotive Technology is the largest Bosch Group business sector. In 2012, its sales came to 31.1 billion euros, or 59 percent of total group sales. This makes the Bosch Group one of the leading automotive suppliers. Its roughly 177,000 Automotive Technology associates worldwide mainly work in the following areas of business: injection technology for internal-combustion engines, alternative powertrain concepts, efficient and networked powertrain peripherals, systems for active and passive driving safety, assistance and comfort functions, technology for user-friendly infotainment as well as car-to-car and Car2X communication, and concepts, technology, and service for the automotive aftermarket. Bosch has been responsible for important automotive innovations, such as electronic engine management, the ESP® anti-skid system, and common-rail diesel technology.

The Bosch Group is a leading global supplier of technology and services. In fiscal 2012, its roughly 306,000 associates generated sales of 52.5 billion euros. Since the beginning of 2013, its operations have been divided into four business sectors: Automotive Technology, Industrial Technology, Consumer Goods, and Energy and Building Technology. The Bosch Group comprises Robert Bosch GmbH and its roughly 360 subsidiaries and regional companies in some 50 countries. If its sales and service partners are included, then Bosch is represented in roughly 150 countries. This worldwide development, manufacturing, and sales network is the foundation for further growth. Bosch spent some 4.8 billion euros for research and development in 2012, and applied for nearly 4,800 patents worldwide. The Bosch Group’s products and services are designed to fascinate, and to improve the quality of life by providing solutions which are both innovative and beneficial. In this way, the company offers technology worldwide that is “Invented for life.”

Further information is available online at www.bosch.com and www.bosch-press.com.

PI8036 - 15. May 2013

Contact Information

Stephan Kraus

Bosch

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