Curve Control: next-gen safety/crash-avoidance to debut on '11 Explorer

[68fastback]

FORD INTRODUCES NEW CURVE CONTROL TECHNOLOGY TO HELP PROTECT AGAINST CRASHES ON CURVES


http://media.ford.com/images/10031/062810Curve_Control_11.jpg
Ford is pioneering the next frontier of safety with crash-avoidance innovations such as Curve Control, which launches on the all-new 2011 Ford Explorer

Ford is pioneering the next frontier of safety with crash-avoidance innovations such as Curve Control, which launches on the all-new 2011 Ford Explorer and rolls out to 90 percent of Ford’s North American crossovers, sport utilities, trucks and vans by 2015
Curve Control is designed to help drivers maintain control of their vehicle when taking a curve too quickly, a situation found to contribute to approximately 50,000 crashes on curves each year in the U.S. alone
Curve Control senses when a vehicle is entering a curve too quickly, and can apply four-wheel smart braking to reduce vehicle speed by up to 10 mph in approximately one second and help drivers follow their intended path
The system will come standard on the all-new 2011 Ford Explorer, part of a suite of safety technologies on the reinvented SUV, including the first inflatable rear seat belt on the market
More... (http://media.ford.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=32869)

Good to see Ford is being relentless on breaking new ground on such technologies and Explorer seems like an ideal vehicle to intro it on.

[Little Debbie]

this sounds like a nice feature. it would be especially useful on semis. saw one on its side on the way up.

[68fastback]

Ouch! Ice Road Truckers could use that!

You know, LD, that's a cool idea! ...managing truck and trailer wheels to prevent jack-kniving might just be eminently doable!

[Little Debbie]

hmmm wish I only knew how to protect and market a million dollar idea. eh, someone's probably already thought it up by now.

[VaporDude]

hmmm wish I only knew how to protect and market a million dollar idea. eh, someone's probably already thought it up by now.

Yeah......Ford. :grin:

I think Ford is using existing data that they already have collected from the various technologies that they already have and reusing that data to help calculate what it needs to do when conditions apply. The data was already there, they just needed to use it differently.

[Little Debbie]

Certainly. :tease2:

Thanks.

Definitely would make the roads safer! Kudos to them!

[68fastback]

Prolly from all the anti-roll stability control studies/data.

Still, the notion of applying it to a two-piece tractor-trailer sounds cool -- conceptually not all that different from a pick-up or Explorer pulling a trailer.

Ford is already leading the industry in light-duty integrated trailering functions (trailer E-braking on F-series and sway-control on new super-duty) but commercial trucking would seem to be able to benefit too if a new standard permitted controlling eack pair of trailer wheels from the tractor. Ford got out of heavy trucks but I think there might be a real pony in there for the big-rigs if some new industry standards were adopted for trailers.

"The fatal crash rate for large trucks is 2.6 deaths per 100 million vehicle miles traveled (edit: 1998 stat) more than 50 percent greater than the rate for all vehicles on the roads." So, maybe that's about 6000(?) deaths/year now, but dunno how many are jackknifes, etc. And there's all the damaged cargo costs to and late-delivery penalties that are common in trucking. Hope Ford patented the management algos for the F-series trailering.

Just checked some of the patents for Ford's trailer-sway control and it seems (hard to tell) like it is very consistent with this concept. If they were smart (and they usually are) the patents were written to cover virtually any application of the technology.

[Vette Killer]

Glad to see them pushing the envelope and a good marketing call to intro it on the Explorer...still battling a little bit of negative press over the whole tire thing from years ago

[VaporDude]

Glad to see them pushing the envelope and a good marketing call to intro it on the Explorer...still battling a little bit of negative press over the whole tire thing from years ago

I think they are over the hurdle of the tire thing. Sure sales are down but that is part due to the economy and they haven't really done much to change the style or much else with the Explorer. I am sure this new one will be a hit. I think it will be one of the most advanced Explorer to hit the market in years.

[68fastback]

+1 (VK) and +1 (VD)

...I'd bet they picked the Explorer to intro it on to help neutralize any residual roll-over BS stigma in the minds of folks who only know about cars from what they see on TV and on page-1, etc.

Similarly, there are many folks who still think you can just ignore a check-engine light forever. Once a misconception gets rooted in lore it's tough, imo, to fully undo in less than glacial time. Sad but true.