Toyota adds radar to detect collisions
'Automotive News' reports on Toyota's new radar safety system.
TOKYO--Toyota Motor Corp. is adding two safety technologies to luxury sedans in Japan and likely will use them next on Lexus models.
One is a radar system that detects probable front and side collisions and warns the driver.
The other is a rear seat that prepares passengers for accidents by automatically adjusting to a more impact-cushioning position, Toyota said in a release.
Toyota said the features will appear soon on a Japan-market vehicle. The company did not name the vehicle, but local media say it may be a redesigned Crown Majesta, due late this month.
Toyota says the technology is being considered for Lexus.
The front and rear-side precrash safety system uses millimeter-wave radar to detect objects moving into the vehicle's path. The system then warns the driver by sound or indicator.
If the crash is imminent, the precrash system activates counter maneuvers by braking, retracting motor-powered seat belts, or deploying airbags.
When a rear-end collision is sensed, the seatbacks automatically rise from a reclining to upright position. They work in tandem with motor-powered seat belts that tighten before the crash and headrests that move forward to guard against whiplash.
In a related development, the redesigned 2010 Toyota Prius offers a radar system that adjusts vehicle speed, applies light braking if necessary, and warns the driver to take evasive action if a crash is imminent.
The car is due in the United States in May.
(Source: "Automotive News")