Meritor Wabco Vehicle Control Systems has announced several new initiatives it said will increase driver and highway safety as well as two new air system efficiency innovations.
“Meritor Wabco has a legacy of being first-to-market with breakthrough safety innovations,” said Jon Morrison, president of Meritor Wabco. “These latest products demonstrate that we’re going to continue that leadership position by continuously developing fully integrated, cost-efficient systems that save lives and improve performance.”
The new initiatives:
- A strategic alliance with Takata to market their SafeTraK Lane Departure Warning and Forward Collision Warning system as well as a supporting driver-alertness warning system
- Roll Stability Support (RSS) 1M to provide trailer anti-lock braking with the added benefit of stability control
- New electrically controlled air dryer technology that optimizes duty cycles by improving timing to increase efficiency
- System Saver 1200 Plus air dryer enhancements that provide application flexibility and capability for additional weight savings
The vision-based SafeTrak system monitors the road ahead and audibly warns drivers if they unintentionally depart from a lane or the road. The LDW system alerts drivers of weaving, lane drifts or lane changes that occur without a turn-signal application by detecting and classifying lane markers on the road through a fully integrated, compact unit.
The Takata unit is composed of a camera, optics, processor and a power supply that assist in tracking and projecting the lane ahead. Installation and setup is simple. The system automatically calibrates itself using the unit’s integrated diagnostics and can be installed directly on the vehicle’s windshield in less than an hour.
Roll Stability Support (RSS) 1M is a two-sensor, one-modulator system that Meritor Wabco said completes the industry’s most diverse offering of trailer safety systems to provide the benefits of both ABS and trailer stability control integrated into a single compact unit.
The risk of rollover from driving actions, including collision avoidance maneuvers; sudden lane changes and acceleration in a curve, can be mitigated or prevented as a result of the RSS 1M, said the company, thereby assisting the driver in maintaining control of the vehicle.
The system automatically accounts for the load status and calculates lateral acceleration while driving. If the lateral acceleration exceeds a specific value, low pressure check brake applications are applied. If the system detects a potential rollover during the brake check process, a full brake application is put into effect. BCO RSS 1M is derived from the RSS 2 M system that has been available to fleets nine years.
The System Saver 1200 Plus, developed specifically for North American braking systems, is a high-capacity, spin-on air dryer that utilizes internal air for regeneration. By incorporating the wet tank and adding a drain valve, it allows customers to have one less reservoir in the system, ultimately saving space and vehicle weight, said Meritor Wabco. With an integrated re-gen, wet tank and governor drain valve in one lightweight, compact unit with 1200 cc of premium desiccant, it “sets the standard for air drying performance, service life and replacement time, lowering vehicle cost of ownership,” added the compant.
Designed to lower operating costs during a vehicle’s lifecycle, the system can be used in a wide range of vocational applications. Additionally, the labor time needed to replace the spin-on cartridge is less than five minutes compared with up to 30 minutes for other air dryers, said Meritor Wabco, and replacement cartridges typically cost less than competitive designs.
In addition, the company is introducing a new tagline: “Safety Strong. Efficiency Smart.” According to Meritor Wabco, the phrase reflects the company’s “proven performance in integrated safety technology and efficient air system solutions” and “underscores the customers’ dual needs to increase driver and highway safety while improving efficiency and cost of ownership.”
The company said these goals that can be accomplished through Meritor Wabco’s comprehensive product line of safety and efficiency products that includes brake systems, ABS and automatic traction control, stability control systems, collision safety systems and vehicle monitoring.
“Creating a new tagline for the Meritor WABCO brand was a way to demonstrate our focus on what’s next in commercial vehicle safety and efficiency,” said Morrison. “We took the lead four years ago when we launched OnGuard, and today we’re proving that we’re going to continue to break ground and deliver on the needs of our customers.”
Meritor Wabco is a North American joint venture focused on the development and delivery of integrated safety technology and efficiency components. These include braking systems and controls, active safety systems, and suspension and control systems for commercial vehicles in North America. Two leading global suppliers back Meritor Wabco: Meritor, Inc., a supplier of drivetrain, mobility, braking and aftermarket solutions for commercial vehicle and industrial markets, provides the JV the industry’s most extensive service and support network while Wabco Automotive Control Systems, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Wabco Holdings, Inc. provides technologies and control systems for the safety and efficiency of commercial vehicles
