June 07, 2016
Vehicle safety is a serious business, and some automakers take it a little more seriously than others. As more and more manufacturers begin to introduce the latest and most advanced active safety features across their ranges, Toyota has made a bold statement to put it right at the front of the market. In a statement issued by the automaker, its Safety Sense suite of technologies will become standard equipment on nearly every trim level the company offers in the U.S. auto market from the start of 2018.
The automaker's most advanced version of Safety Sense, TSS-P, has been named as the winner of the New England Motor Press Association's (NEMPA) Yankee Cup Technology Award. This prestigious award is given out every year to a vehicle, feature, or system considered to significantly enhance the motoring experience, either by making driving safer, more affordable, or just more enjoyable.
When the award was accepted by Toyota at NEMPA's sixth annual conference and banquet at MIT's Media Lab in Cambridge, it wasn't the only plaudit that went to the manufacturer, either. As well as the Yankee Cup Technology Award, the association also gave Winter Vehicle Awards to the company's RAV4 Hybrid and Toyota Tacoma, in the Green Crossover and Midsize/Compact Pickup Truck categories, respectively.
The technology behind TSS-P largely comes from Toyota's work on driverless vehicles. At the heart of the system is an in-vehicle camera and front-grille-mounted millimeter-wave radar, which are designed to enhance the driving experience by helping to keep occupants and pedestrians safe. The system detects obstacles and automatically applies the brakes if it believes that a collision is imminent.
TSS-P consists of four main features that work together to promote levels of detection and safety that would have seemed like science fiction not too long ago.
The Pre-Collision System with Pedestrian Detection function generates audio and visual warnings for the driver to take avoiding action and brake, if the possibility of a frontal collision is being detected by the system. In some circumstances, the feature can assist the driver by applying the brakes on its own using Brake Assist, but in more urgent situations it can also take up the initiative independently if required. A formula based on size, profile, and motion is used by the software behind the in-vehicle camera to look out for pedestrians.
Lane Departure Alert is a system that analyzes lane markings, which means it can detect if the vehicle is veering out of its lane. If this happens, the system gives the driver audio and visual cues to fix the problem. Similar to the Pre-Collision System, Steering Assist can even help out the driver itself through the application of small, corrective steering inputs if required.
Dynamic Radar Cruise Control is an advanced cruise control system that maintains a predetermined distance from the vehicle ahead by speeding up and slowing the vehicle as required.
The fourth and final element of TSS-P is Automatic High Beams, and this feature detects oncoming vehicle headlights and the taillights of preceding vehicles to switch automatically between your high and low headlight beams.
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