Safety and Assistance Systems
Driving Safety, Driver Assistance Systems, Vehicle dynamics control
Vehicle safety is of paramount importance. After all, with the increasing density of traffic on the roads, even the slightest dip in driver’s attentiveness can lead to a life-threatening situation. It is in situations like this where driver assistance and safety systems can, however, be deployed to assist the driver. They can do such things as predict driving situations that may be about to occur, stabilize the vehicle in critical situations using vehicle dynamics control functions, and mitigate the consequences if an accident does occur.
Driver assistance systems also covers topics such as comfort, brake pedal feedback individualization, efficient kinetic energy recuperation, enhanced vehicle agility, and even driving pleasure – since these topics are increasingly coming into the focus of attention.
Driving safety
Besides the typical tasks handled by vehicle dynamic drive control systems (e.g. maintaining steerability during braking, stabilization, and convenience functions like hill-start assist), additional requirements in terms of functionality are nowadays emerging in response to the current innovation drivers such as alternative powertrain technologies and autonomous driving. These often require vehicle-specific solutions. Thus, in the context of electrification, for instance, a vacuum-free brake booster and efficient energy recuperation during braking are required in order to improve the vehicle’s range. At the same time, stricter requirements with regard to vehicle occupant and pedestrian protection are leading to technologies that enable braking systems to intervene more dynamically – though such actions must be always performed in a safe and controlled manner. Moreover, with the wide variety of new powertrain and vehicle concepts currently available in the industry, further aspects such as increased agility and driving pleasure are gaining importance, particularly for sports vehicles, such as increased agility and driving pleasure. Automated and autonomous operations (e.g. parking and driving) add further challenges; therefore, redundancy in the braking system must ensure that the vehicle can be brought safely under control in the event of any error or malfunction.
Bosch Engineering offers the following services for the wide range of topics dealt with below:
- Consulting when selecting and configuring the braking system and its associated components, sensors, and functions while taking into consideration and, if required, getting involved in the design of the relevant interfaces at the vehicle level
- Development and integration of these systems, components, sensors, and functions (software, hardware, and function development for ABS/ESP® regulation and iBooster or IPB control units) while adhering to the Bosch Engineering development processes
- Consulting when designing the manufacturing process and workshop diagnostics at the OEM
- Carrying out studies for future braking systems (e.g. in the area of automated driving or innovative vehicle dynamics control systems)
- Vehicle-specific calibration, application, and validation
Electrification of braking systems
Vehicle electrification gives rise to new requirements but also new degrees of freedom in the area of braking systems:
- Vacuum-free power boost
- Increased dynamics
- Optimal, comprehensive strategies for energy recuperation
- Redesigned feel of the brake pedal
- Enhanced vehicle agility
- Connectivity involving new chassis actuators
- Quietness
- Packaging
- More customization options
Bosch Engineering takes existing Bosch systems or ones that are in development (iBooster, IPB (integrated power brake), ESPhev, etc.) and develops, in close cooperation with your engineers, specific enhancements in order to offer you tailored solutions. The systems and scope of functions are optimized for the individual application scenario and customer wishes – be it for the racetrack, a city car, or off-road use.
Innovations in vehicle driving dynamics
Customer-specific solutions for safety and agility in all driving situations from a single source.
Bosch Engineering offers a tailored portfolio for the following ESP® base functionalities:
- Steerability and maximum performance during braking (ABS – anti-lock braking system)
- Traction maximization for different road conditions and in all driving situations (TCS – traction control system)
- Vehicle stabilization during dynamic maneuvers (VDC – vehicle dynamics control)
Alongside this typical set of functions, Bosch Engineering also develops innovative functions for improving vehicle driving dynamics. By taking an integrated controller approach, the latest control technologies and methods are used to drive all the actuators relevant to vehicle driving dynamics from a central control unit, thus ensuring the full potential of these actuators can be utilized
The benefits to you as a vehicle manufacturer:
- Enhanced performance
- Opportunity to emphasize and fine-tune the brand’s intrinsic “driving dynamics DNA”
- Ability to offer end customers (drivers) a customization of their vehicle’s driving dynamics
- Reduction in the time and effort required for tuning the vehicle’s setup
Autonomous driving? Sure, but only with maximum safety!
Automated driving functions require redundancy in the braking system to ensure any error or malfunction can be handled safely and reliably. The degree of redundancy depends strongly on the level of automation and must be defined on a vehicle-specific basis. Thus, the degree of redundancy can range from, for instance, mechanical redundancy in the form of a simple safety pawl implemented for an automated parking brake to much more sophisticated redundancy involving, for example, two completely redundant braking systems that can ensure externally driven active pressure buildups as well as full steerability in the event of over-braked wheels. The solutions are many and diverse. We will analyze your vehicle concept and use cases in order to define the optimal system or set of functions for you. Depending on the level of innovation involved, we will validate the various developed solutions in phases.
Vehicle occupant and pedestrian protection
The moments before and during an accident are like the blink of an eye – just a few milliseconds for the electronics to measure, analyze, and react. Fractions of a second that can mean the difference between life and death. That is why we must make the best possible use of this time. We are thinking ahead to enable our safety systems to identify hazards and so prevent accidents from occurring. The sensor and processing systems for vehicle occupant and pedestrian protection deliver absolute top performance in this very short space of time. Bosch Engineering has access to the systems developed by Robert Bosch GmbH for reliable occupant and pedestrian protection – irrespective of the type of powertrain used. What is more, we work closely with renowned partners to develop tailored solutions for the entire occupant restraint system.
Our service portfolio includes the following:
- Measurement of the necessary crash parameters by external partners, taking into consideration vehicle conditions as well as country- and customer-specific requirements
- Selecting suitable Bosch airbag control units and necessary sensor systems (12/24 V) for both passenger cars and heavy commercial vehicles
- Product-specific algorithm development and calibration
- Integration in the existing vehicle E/E architecture
- Carrying out the necessary tests by external partners, taking into consideration vehicle conditions and equipment variants as well as country- and customer-specific requirements
Driver assistance systems
Modern driver assistance systems increase safety, comfort, and convenience by supporting the driver and even relieving the driver of some of the driving tasks completely. They are also able to actively intervene, thus mitigating the effects of an accident or even preventing accidents from occurring at all. Studies show that driver assistance systems offer significant potential in the prevention of accidents involving fatalities and injury, which is why such systems are increasingly being included in consumer tests, like Euro NCAP, or are even becoming required by law.
Bosch Engineering offers customer-specific solutions for systems that enhance convenience, comfort, and safety. What is more, as a single-source supplier, we cover all aspects ranging from system design to performance calibration. We are your trusted innovation partner at all stages of the engineering process – from the design study to volume production. You can count on our support with system design and development, covering all aspects including, for instance, system architecture and workshop diagnostics. This also applies to function and software development for driver assistance applications, including integration, calibration, and validation in the vehicle as well as software maintenance. Bosch Engineering’s work always takes into consideration the aspects of cybersecurity and functional safety. In the area of automated powertrain system development, Bosch Engineering provides you with additional consulting and engineering services dealing with E/E architecture, system design, security, functional safety, verification, validation, and software maintenance.
Adaptive cruise control (ACC)
Driving in dense road traffic and maintaining the proper distance to the vehicle in front requires concentration. The adaptive cruise control (ACC) system can adjust the vehicle’s speed to match the traffic flow and can maintain a preset distance to the vehicle ahead. The driver thus enjoys enhanced comfort and convenience and can better concentrate on the traffic situation.
Headlight and road sign assist
Long and monotonous journeys require the driver’s permanent attention and concentration. Headlight and visibility functions reduce the burden on the driver and help make driving safer. The road sign assist feature identifies relevant traffic signs, displays current speed limits and relevant road signs on the dashboard display, and can alert the driver if the speed limit is exceeded. The intelligent headlight control function senses the ambient brightness and detects other vehicles and their distance. The system uses all this information to provide the various headlight functions and illuminate the road optimally.
Park assist
Unsuccessful parking attempts are frustrating and stressful. Even small mistakes can cause expensive damage. The parking assistant helps drivers maneuver into any suitable parking space within seconds – without any hassle or stress. It informs the driver immediately as soon as it identifies a suitable parallel or perpendicular parking space. If the driver presses the button to activate the park assist function, the system calculates the optimal path into the space. The parking assistant then takes control of the vehicle’s steering. During the parking maneuver, the driver keeps an eye on the traffic and accelerates or brakes in response to the system’s instructions. The assistant furthermore supports the driver when maneuvering the vehicle out of the parking space into a position from which the driver can then safely and easily drive off. Drivers wanting to park the vehicle without the aid of park assist can benefit from the multi-camera system. It provides a clear, three-dimensional, 360-degree view of what is happening around the vehicle during parking and maneuvering. It makes it easier for the driver to align the vehicle with lines, curbs, and walls and makes obstacles on the vehicle’s trajectory visible to the driver.
Predictive emergency braking system
Inattentiveness while driving can have serious consequences. Emergency braking systems have the potential to reduce the risk of rear-end collisions and their consequences, thus saving lives, reducing injuries, and avoiding damage to property. As a result, there is a global effort by legislators and regulatory authorities to promote and support the introduction of such systems. They are enabled as soon as the vehicle is moving and assist the driver at all speeds – day and night. The driver must, however, still be attentive and drive carefully.
Lane assistance systems
Lane assistance systems assist the driver when performing lane-change maneuvers and in situations in which the vehicle drifts out of the lane unintentionally. Drowsiness and distraction are the most common reasons for the vehicle unintentionally drifting out of a marked lane. Lane assistance systems, like lane keeping support and lane departure warning, have the potential to prevent a large portion of these accidents by warning or even actively assisting the driver to keep the vehicle in the lane. When switching lanes intentionally, the driver’s inability to see what is happening within the vehicle’s blind spot – the area beside and directly behind the vehicle – is a constant source of danger and often the cause of serious accidents. Vehicles approaching at speed from behind can also be a risk if their speed is incorrectly gauged. The lane change assist function warns the driver in such situations and helps prevent dangerous lane-change maneuvers.
Automated driving
Automation is one of the biggest driving forces in the transformation that is occurring in the mobility sector. It has the potential to continuously improve the traffic flow and make mobility safer for everyone. Bosch is paving the way step by step toward automated driving, in other words, toward the self-driving car. For this reason, Bosch is developing innovative driver assistance systems that enhance safety, comfort, and convenience; partially and highly automated functions that simplify driving considerably; and technologies for fully automated driving and parking in urban environments.
Steering
The increasing use of driver assistance systems, such as vehicle dynamics control, has resulted in the inexorable success of electric power steering systems. Unlike conventional hydraulic steering systems, the steering assistance in electric power steering systems is provided by an electric motor. Since the motor is only active during steering operations and otherwise requires almost no power, this results not only in an energy saving but in a fuel saving too, compared with a hydraulic power steering system. Besides energy savings, there are also other advantages for vehicle manufacturers. There is, for instance, no need for hydraulic tanks, lines, and pumps. What is more, the amount of installation space required is also reduced. Appreciation of electric power steering among sports car manufacturers is growing too, because the feel of the vehicle’s steering can be adapted very precisely to the present driving situation and the currently activated driving mode. Thanks to custom calibration, the driving experience is getting its own DNA.
We can offer you state-of-the-art solutions for electromechanical power steering systems for passenger cars and light commercial vehicles (Bosch Servolectric®). When it comes to topics that are of great significance for the future, we work closely with Bosch’s Automotive Steering division, so we can offer our proven expertise in areas like highly automated driving and steer-by-wire. Bosch Engineering can adapt the electric power steering system to your specific vehicle requirements irrespective of the production volume. As your flexible and competent partner, we will support you throughout your product development cycle in order to implement all requirements and demands in customized mechanical engineering design and software solutions. For this purpose, Bosch Engineering can develop custom solutions on your behalf, for either technically complex volume production projects or for highly innovative studies. We would be delighted to hear from you so we can advise you on a steering system tailored to your particular use case.
Custom software and function development
- Deriving and preparing software specifications, architecture, and architecture design on the basis of customer requirements
- Development of base software, including boot block, communication, and diagnostic software in accordance with the common automotive standard AUTOSAR
- Development of software functions for, among other things, steering assistance, steering feel, driver assistance, and autonomous driving functions
- Software verification and validation using simulation applications and the latest testing systems
Custom-built mechanical design
We offer the following services for flexible and competent mechanical engineering at all stages of the product development cycle:
- Tailored requirements management
- Component and package consulting
- Customer-specific design and development of components and sub-components
- Needs-based system-testing and validation concept based on a delta approach
- Coordination of suppliers with regard to technical and organizational matters
- Solution-focused change and release management
Calibration and approval
- Custom tuning of the steering feel through testing performed together with you on a variety of test tracks around the world
- Calibration of steering-specific functions and driver assistance systems
- Needs-based system-testing and validation concept based on a delta approach
- Steering-specific extreme stress tests
- Approval and release of the steering system in the target vehicle
