Bendix Wingman Advanced collision mitigation technology to come standard with International Truck LT Series

In an industry milestone for collision mitigation technology, Bendix Wingman Advanced is the first system to gain standard position in the North American commercial vehicle market.

International Truck has announced that the newly launched LT Series on-highway Class 8 tractor will come standard with Wingman Advanced. In addition, International is making Bendix Wingman Fusion, Bendix’s flagship driver assistance system, available as an upgrade on the LT Series vehicles. The decisions reinforce Bendix’s position as an industry leader in collision mitigation technology.

Delivering adaptive cruise control with braking, along with autonomous emergency braking (AEB) technology, Bendix Wingman Advanced is a radar-based collision mitigation system engineered to help drivers mitigate rear-end collisions. Wingman Advanced, which has been assisting drivers since its introduction in 2011, is a proven system with millions of on-road miles. The technology is produced by Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems LLC, the North American leader in the development and manufacture of active safety and braking solutions for commercial vehicles.

International Truck is a subsidiary of Navistar, a strong supporter of Bendix technologies. International makes a wide range of Bendix products – from Bendix’s complete wheel-end package to antilock braking systems, valves, and air dryers – available as an option or standard on a range of its medium- and heavy-duty trucks and buses. Last year, Navistar became the first truck manufacturer to offer Bendix Wingman Fusion.

“Our many shared goals and values are at the heart of our ongoing partnership with Navistar. We are exceptionally proud that Wingman Advanced has been selected as the first collision mitigation technology to market in a standard position,” said Scott Burkhart, Bendix vice president – sales, marketing, and business development. “By offering Bendix Wingman Advanced as standard on the exciting new LT Series, and making Wingman Fusion available as an upgrade, International Truck is acting on its commitment to help deliver driver and highway safety and cost reductions for collision repairs. The system’s benefits ultimately help drive uptime efficiencies for heavy-duty fleets. All of these outcomes are deeply important to Bendix as well.”

A system that senses

Bendix Wingman Advanced is designed to help drivers avoid rear-end collision situations by delivering warnings and active interventions using a radar sensor mounted to the front of the vehicle. The system provides following distance, impact, and stationary object alerts. Whether or not cruise control is engaged, these alerts are always available.

When drivers engage cruise control and set speed, the system will actively intervene to help them maintain a safe following distance behind a forward vehicle. Wingman Advanced does this by reducing throttle; engaging the engine retarder; or, if necessary, applying the foundation brakes.

The system’s collision mitigation feature provides additional interventions – whether or not cruise control is active – by alerting the driver and automatically applying the brakes to help decelerate the vehicle when the system senses a rear-end collision may be imminent.

The driver, who maintains control at all times, can help avoid or minimize the collision situation through additional braking or steering.

Wingman Advanced also features an innovative stationary object alert, which provides audible and visual alerts to the driver when the vehicle is approaching a large stationary metallic object, such as a car, steel drum, or other metallic obstruction blocking the lane of travel. The warning, always available above 10 mph, gives the driver up to 3 seconds before a potential impact, helping him or her to respond to the impending threat.

“Driver safety is paramount when operating a truck, and as part of our DriverFirst philosophy, we are proud to be first to market with standard solutions like Bendix Wingman Advanced on our newest on-highway tractor,” said Bill Kozek, president, Trucks and Parts, International Truck. “The LT Series demonstrates our commitment to drivers, their safety, and their livelihood.”

Bendix Wingman Advanced is built on the company’s full-stability technology – Bendix ESP Electronic Stability Program – providing fleets with a system that can help drivers in collisions, potential rollovers, and loss-of-control situations.

International Truck also recently selected Bendix ESP as standard, starting when the first phase of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) new stability mandate takes effect in August 2017.

Option for upgrade

Bendix Wingman Advanced serves as the foundation for Bendix Wingman Fusion, the company’s comprehensive next-generation collision mitigation technology introduced last year. International makes Wingman Fusion available as an upgrade on LT Series vehicles, offering fleets a two-tier option and enabling them to select the technology that best fits their needs.

Bendix Wingman Fusion integrates and advances a proven, road-tested suite of Bendix safety technologies – radar, camera, and the vehicle’s brake system – into a comprehensive driver assistance system. The system combines and cross-checks information from multiple sources to deliver enhanced rear-end collision mitigation, braking on stationary vehicles, lane departure warning, and overspeed alert and action. Wingman Fusion also helps drivers avoid additional crash situations, including rollovers, loss-of-control, and sideswipe crashes, while prioritizing alerts to help reduce driver distraction.

With video, radar, and other sensors working together, and not just in parallel, the system realizes events sooner – alerting the driver and decreasing the vehicle’s speed up to twice as much – to help the driver mitigate potential collisions or lessen their severity.

As with Wingman Advanced, Bendix Wingman Fusion is built on the Bendix ESP full-stability system. The Wingman Fusion system camera is powered by the Mobileye System-on-Chip EyeQ processor with state-of-the-art vision algorithms.

Driver assistance

Bendix emphasized that technologies such as Bendix Wingman Advanced and Bendix Wingman Fusion are designed to assist drivers, not replace them. The driver maintains responsibility for the safe operation of the vehicle at all times. No technology – regardless of how advanced – is as important as continuous, proactive driver training and alert, safe drivers practicing safe driving habits.

Bendix collision mitigation technologies are part of the ever-growing Bendix portfolio of technologies that deliver on safety, plus other areas critical to fleets’ success. By improving vehicle performance and efficiency and providing unparalleled post-sales support, Bendix aims to strengthen returns on investment in equipment and technology, helping fleets and drivers lower their total costs of vehicle ownership, and enhancing roadway safety.