Volvo’s vision for blind spots
BY MALCOLM LIVERMORE | 27th Jan 2004
Called BLIS, it utilises digital camera technology to monitor the driver’s blind spot and warn of impending incidents.
BLIS was first revealed on the 2001 Safety Car Concept but is now set for production. It was shown at the Detroit motor show along with some other Volvo safety innovations.
The blind spot is the area alongside and off-set to the rear of the moving car on both sides and it is a particularly dangerous hazard when changing lanes on a multi-lane road.
Using BLIS, when another vehicle enters the monitored zone, a warning lamp lights up near the door mirror. The driver gets a clear indication that another vehicle is just alongside and can thus stay out of its way.
The system alerts the driver both to vehicles approaching from behind and vehicles in front as they are overtaken.
The technology employed includes a digital camera fitted on each door mirror that takes a large number of frames a second. By comparing the picture frames, the system can register when a vehicle is moving into the monitored zone, which is 9.5 metres long and three metres wide.
The system is programmed to monitor motorbikes as well as cars, in both daylight and in the dark. It is also programmed not to react to parked cars, roadside fences, crash barriers, street lights and so on.
BLIS is active at all speeds above 10 km/h. It is designed to alert the driver to vehicles that are moving a maximum of 20 km/h slower and a maximum of 70 km/h faster than the driver’s own vehicle.
Volvo has also revealed a new inflatable curtain designed for convertibles – a matter close to Volvo’s heart as it has the S40-based C50 convertible due for launch in 2005.
Inflatable curtains are usually fitted to the inner roof edge of a car and have not been used in convertibles because there is no fixed roof for installation.
Volvo has solved the problem by turning the inflatable curtain upside down and fitting it inside the door panel. In a side impact, the curtain will inflate and push itself upward.
As in the roof-mounted version, this takes place within a split second in a rolling or unfurling motion, so that the curtain can press itself between the side window and the head as effectively as possible.
The inflatable curtain is designed to offer protection even if the side window is open or broken. In order to offer protection in the event of a rollover accident, the curtain deflates slowly.
Volvo has also revealed its take on adaptive cruise control and a warning system with brake support and automatic brake activation designed to prevent rear-end crashes. Similar technologies are already seen in other luxury marques.
"What we are showing now will be introduced gradually in our cars," said Lex Kerssemakers, vice-president, global marketing and head of product planning at Volvo Cars.
"We expect to see BLIS in production already in 2004. The door-mounted inflatable curtain will be introduced in the next generation of convertibles.
"As regards the other systems, no decision has yet been taken on which Volvo model will first be equipped with them."