Volvo Trucks' Latest Technology Solves the Problem of Right Turn Blind Spots

Recently, Volvo Trucks on the official website introduced the company's latest technological achievements, the company will laser scanning, infrared detection, monitoring, camera detection and radio communication and other means integrated to solve the problem of truck right turn blind spot.

Carl Johan Almqvist, business director of product safety at Volvo Trucks Transportation, said the use of trucks in urban areas is inevitable, but the current safety situation still needs to be improved, and right-hand steering in particular is a major safety concern.

Compared with cars, large trucks have more blind spots. Although many vehicles are equipped with more than four mirrors to improve rearview, it is still difficult for drivers to ensure timely observation of approaching pedestrians and bicycles. The turning scene increases the difficulty of obtaining peripheral visual information, so it is a high-risk situation for the occurrence of hidden blind spots. Statistics clearly show that 20% of the accidents involving trucks hitting pedestrians and bicycles occur when the trucks turn right at the junction.

Malte Ahrholdt, technical project Manager at Volvo, explains: "If you stop at a red light, the environment is constantly changing while the vehicle is stationary. If the driver is focused on something, such as a traffic light or finding a gap in the traffic ahead, what is going on behind the vehicle is difficult for the driver to grasp. Bicycles, in particular, can easily move quickly through the gaps between vehicles. In this critical situation, alarm signals and warning sounds are especially important."

Malte Ahrholdt is currently involved in the EU-funded Intersafe-2 project. The project is dedicated to improving road safety and will last for three years until May 2011. A total of 11 companies and academic institutions from 6 countries participated, including: BMW, Volvo, Volkswagen, TRW TRW, VTT, Sick, Inria, NEC, Technical University of Cluj-Napoca, IKA and Swarco Traffic Systems. Volvo Trucks, in collaboration with Volvo's technical department, is responsible for solving the blind spots where trucks face pedestrians and bicycles when turning corners. Other participating agencies are responsible for other aspects of security monitoring.

In the truck platform used for the test, Malte Ahrholdt and his colleagues equipped the vehicle with laser scanners and ultrasonic sensors to monitor the area on the right side of the vehicle. If a bicycle or pedestrian gets too close, a signal light will go on and an alarm will sound to alert the driver.