Lane-Change Warning From Hella for the new BMW 7 Series

LIPPSTADT - August 20, 2008: Together with BMW, Hella has developed lane-change warning for the new BMW 7 Series. When changing lanes, it considerably reduces the danger of overlooking vehicles approaching from the rear. The lane-change warning assists the driver via permanent monitoring of the adjacent lanes from a speed of 50 km/h, and warns in the event of passing and lane-change procedures if a vehicle has been detected in the adjacent lane. If there is a vehicle in the critical area, this is indicated via a permanently illuminating symbol in the housing of the side mirror. If, in this case, the driver sets the direction indicator to change lanes, the illuminating symbol starts to flash, and the steering wheel starts to vibrate. This ensures increased attentiveness and increases the warning effectiveness.

In the case of lane-change warning, two 24-GHz radar sensors on both sides detect other road-users in the rear and side area of one's own vehicle, as well as objects located in the blind spot. The sensors have a range of up to 60 meters. They work largely irrespectively of weather conditions and are integrated invisibly into the rear of the vehicle. Thanks to the range of the sensors, the driver can be warned in good time even in the case of greater approach speeds. Various European and Asian vehicle makers now use a lane change assistant from Hella in series production. It can already be found in six different series, more will follow. After all, the 24-GHz-band radar sensor developed for the close range has the big advantage of being approved for worldwide use.