Ford Motor Company, an American multinational automaker, has come up with Lane Keeping System for the first time in its sedan, Ford Fusion 2012. The new Fusion will make its debut at the North American International Auto Show in few weeks. This mainstream midsize sedan offering a lane departure system will be the first in North America. This system was until now available in luxury cars like Nissan's Infiniti EX.
Lane departure system is crucial for warning drivers in case their vehicles wander off the lane. The windshield ahead of the rear-view mirror has a digital camera that keeps a watch. The system senses an unintentional lane departure and causes vibration in the steering wheel and brings the car back into the right lane.
The company reported the working of the system as, “When the system detects the car is approaching the edge of the lane without a turn signal activated, the lane marker in the icon turns yellow and the steering wheel vibrates to simulate driving over rumble strips. If the driver doesn't respond and continues to drift, the lane icon turns red and EPAS will nudge the steering and the vehicle back toward the centre of the lane. If the car continues to drift, the vibration is added again along with the nudge. The driver can overcome assistance and vibration at any time by turning the steering wheel, accelerating or braking.”
Michael Kane, Ford Development Engineer, said “Fusion's Lane Keeping System combines a digital imaging sensor with our own state-of-the-art control software to process images and determine what level of warning or assistance to provide to the driver.” He also added that the company has concentrated all its efforts in ensuring effectiveness and efficiency of the lane detection system. After making the debut in Ford Fusion 2012, the company will offer the same system in Ford Explorer Crossover in 2012.
