ZF is set to launch a Collision Mitigation System (CMS) for city buses. Offering active braking to help avoid frontal collisions with other road users, including vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians, the system also helps counter the adverse impact of braking momentum on passengers.

Helping reduce the risk of accidents and injuries both inside and outside of the bus, the solution is the industry’s first Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) independent CMS specifically engineered for city bus applications. The system is compatible with both electric and internal combustion engines. Having already secured business wins from leading bus OEMs, ZF will initially launch its City Bus CMS in Europe and, ultimately, plans to roll the system out worldwide.

Leveraging ZF’s wide-ranging competencies to develop a pioneering solution connecting radar and camera with a central processing unit and braking system, City Bus CMS represents a clear proof point of the Group’s Next Generation Mobility strategy.

In addition to providing advanced, integrated safety for road users as well as the driver and passengers of both electric and traditionally fueled buses, we are extending ZF’s Advanced Driver Assistance Systems leadership in trucks and coaches to the important city bus market segment. Utilizing advanced braking system technology is fundamentally important for safety and autonomous driving, with complex city bus applications providing an interesting and valuable use case.

—Philipp Helmich, Head of Vehicle Dynamics Product Lines with ZF’s Commercial Vehicle Solutions division

Offering significant value for OEMs and fleet customers, ZF’s city bus CMS represents a major step in enhancing bus safety for passengers and road users alike. Helping mitigate hazardous traffic situations in the complexity of an urban environment requires sophisticated situational analysis, including advanced object detection and classification.

Building on ZF’s extensive safety systems expertise, ZF’s City Bus CMS draws on its latest OnGuardMAX technology for heavy trucks, with specific features and functionalities that are tailored to city bus applications. Combining the data from its camera and radar provides continuous analysis of the traffic situation. If an impending collision is detected, the system can issue a Forward Collision Warning (FCW) and automatically apply the brakes to help mitigate or avoid an accident.

Combined with ZF’s advanced braking capabilities that are precisely calibrated with the vehicle’s speed and weight, the adverse effects of sudden braking on passengers can also be minimized. With seamless interaction between ZF’s ADAS and braking system, brake pressure is carefully applied across the braking cascade making passengers less likely to be jolted and put off-balance.