V orsprung durch Technik - This slogan was first featured in 1971 under one Advertisement for the NSU Ro 80. The upper middle class sedan was actually way ahead of its time in terms of design and engine technology. The NSU Ro 80 was not a great success due to its fragile Wankel engine, but the advertising slogan has remained to this day.
Audi would like to gain a head start especially in the development of new assistance systems. The self-proclaimed goal is to make the car so intelligent in the future that accidents can be completely avoided. Much is still a long way off, other systems build on the assistants that are already available and could soon go into series production.
Traffic jam assist does the steering for the driver
For example, the automatic Adaptive cruise control will be expanded to include a traffic jam assistant in the future. The system maintains a constant distance from the vehicle in front up to a speed of 60 km /h and is even supposed to relieve the driver of steering. It guides the car behind the vehicle in front and would therefore be able to drive around obstacles or create an emergency lane. Will Audi drivers be able to sit back and read the newspaper in traffic jams? In theory, this would be possible, because if there is a risk of a collision, there is automatic full deceleration.
Joking aside, this function is also currently being further developed at Audi: Pre Sense City is the name of the new assistance system that warns the driver of an impending collision with a brief braking impulse up to a speed of 65 km /h . If the driver does not react, the vehicle should be braked automatically with full force about a second before a collision. The maximum possible speed reduction is 30 km /h. According to Audi, the system can also detect pedestrians at a distance of 25 meters and make a major contribution to their protection.
There is a further expansion stage of the for automatic emergency braking at speeds above 65 km /h Pre Sense Systems in the starting blocks. A laser scans the front and side of the vehicle. In this way, the system should be able to recognize whether the driver can even avoid an obstacle lying ahead. If this is no longer possible, for example because of a building on the side of the road, the system runs theEmergency stop.
Cars should be able to communicate with each other in the future
Should an accident happen , good seat belts are especially valuable. Active seat belt buckles could soon also be used in the rear of an Audi, which are moved by small electric motors and automatically tightened in the event of an impending collision. The electric motors are to be networked even more closely with the new assistance systems in order to be able to react to impending accidents at an early stage.
Networking the entire vehicle with other road users or the infrastructure is also becoming increasingly important. With Car-to-X technology, cars should be able to communicate with each other via radio in the future and thus make driving even safer. An example: If a vehicle at the end of a traffic jam warns the following vehicles by radio signal or the warning of slippery roads is passed on from one car to the next, this increases road safety significantly. Communication with a permanently installed modem at an intersection or a traffic light would also be conceivable.
At intersections and junctions, the intersection assistant could soon provide more safety. Two radar sensors and a wide-angle camera monitor the front and side of the car and should inform the driver in good time of approaching vehicles. Car-to-X communication could be used as an extension of this system, which provides the system with information via radio contact with other vehicles even if the view of the sensors is obscured.
Which manufacturer was developing This networking technology is currently in the lead, does not matter, because the networking of vehicles can only really work if all manufacturers pull together.
Automatic parking with the park pilot
In addition to the safety systems, Audi is also working on new convenience assistants, such as the Park pilots. In the future, the driver should be able to leave his vehicle in front of the garage and give the command to park via remote control or a smartphone. According to the developers, the car will use ultrasonic sensors to detect obstacles and automatically find its way into a parking space. The driver would not even have to observe the process: when the vehicle has reached its end position, the engine is automatically switched off, the doors locked and a confirmation message is sent to the driver.
Also the sensors of the lane change assistant could soon get new tasks. Their use is particularly useful, for example, when reversing out of parking spaces or before opening the door when getting out, as they check the space next to and behind the car and thus approaching vehiclesor recognize cyclists.
In the future, more electronic support should also be enjoyed by drivers who are often on the road with a trailer. The trailer maneuvering assistant uses a sensor in the trailer coupling to check the articulation angle between the towing vehicle and the trailer when maneuvering backwards and, if necessary, performs steering movements to keep this angle stable and prevent them from touching.
For more safety and comfort on the road, Audi currently offers these assistance systems:
Adaptive Cruise Control - the automatic distance control
The automatic distance control works in a speed range from zero to 250 km /h and controls the distance to the vehicle in front with automatic acceleration and braking. With the Stop & Go function, the vehicle even decelerates to a standstill if necessary and then starts rolling again automatically. Two radar sensors, a camera, the ultrasonic sensors of the parking aid and other driver assistance systems supply the distance control with the necessary information.
Active Lane Assist - the Lane departure warning system
The lane departure warning system detects the markings on the lane from a speed of 60 km /h and keeps the vehicle in the lane with targeted steering interventions. The system uses the images from a camera that sits in front of the interior mirror. While driving, the driver can determine how early the lane departure warning system should intervene.
Active Side Assist - the lane change assistant
Two radar sensors in the rear observe what is happening behind the car and warn the driver via a yellow LED display in the exterior mirror of other road users who are approaching quickly or driving in the blind spot.
The night vision assistant
The night vision assistant evaluates the images from a thermal imaging camera and focuses primarily on the detection of pedestrians. The camera can look up to 300 meters ahead, and the image processing software recognizes people from a distance of 100 meters. If a pedestrian is detected, the system warns the driver via a marker in the display, a warning tone and, if necessary, via the optional head-up display.
The parking assistant
If the driver would like to reverse into a parking bay parallel to or across the road, the parking assistant carries out all necessary steering movements for the process. The driver only has to accelerate or brake. Before that, the system can even measure a parking space as it drives past and decide whether it is big enough. The information is provided by ultrasonic sensors, acoustic andoptical signals as well as the reversing and surroundings camera.
The speed limit display
The speed limit display shows the driver in the instrument cluster or in the optional head-up display for the currently permitted maximum speed. The system receives the information via a camera behind the rear-view mirror, which not only displays conventional street signs, but also digital or pictogram-based speed indicators.
The Pre Sense security system
Predictive security, that's what the Pre Sense security system stands for. The technology package is available in three expansion stages - Pre Sense Front, Pre Sense Rear and Pre Sense Plus. All versions work closely with the distance controller and the lane change assistant and also use the information from the ESP sensors. If a collision is imminent, Pre Sense Front supports the driver in four stages.
In the first stage the system triggers a warning signal, in the second stage a short braking impulse. If the driver then does not react, partial braking follows in the third stage. In addition, all windows are automatically closed, the belts tightened and the hazard warning lights activated. If a collision can no longer be avoided, the Pre Sense Plus system initiates emergency braking in the fourth stage. In this way, the speed before an accident can be reduced by up to 40 km /h.
The Pre Sense Rear safety system uses the sensors of the lane change assistant and reduces the consequences of a rear-end collision by also closing all windows that Tighten the belts and bring the optional memory seats into an upright position.