Self-Learning «Drive it Away» Technology Helps to Increase Flexibility and Save Significant Time and Labor for Truck and Bus Manufacturers and Fleets PR Newswire.
Meritor WABCO, a leader in the integration of safety technology for the commercial vehicle industry, introduced breakthrough ESCsmart technology today that will help advance the performance, functionality and flexibility of Electronic Stability Control (ESC).
ESCsmart, to be included in Meritor WABCO’s next generation ESC when it is released in 2014, builds upon the current «self-learning» capability whereby the system is designed to automatically adapt to changes in vehicle characteristics and wear without the need to reprogram a separate Electronic Control Unit (ECU).
«We continually look at ways to improve base technology so that we can offer the industry more value. ESCsmart is a significant step in the evolution of electronic stability control,» said Jon Morrison, president and general manager, Meritor WABCO. «The technology advancements with self-learning will not only help save manufacturers time and cost in the validation and application process, but fleets can reduce down time due to the need for reprogramming the ECU every time they have a truck and/or trailer configuration change.»
ESCsmart provides higher value to the electronic stability control system with more features and benefits than systems currently available in the market. ESCsmart’s continuous learning functionality consistently monitors vehicle characteristics and makes adjustments to the performance of the ESC. This allows for:
• Significant reduction of the validation process for manufacturers. The system is designed to be programmed on the line and immediately be driven away, thereby eliminating the need for a calibrating driving procedure. This also saves manufacturers cost on tools and labor for physical validations.
• More flexible adaptation to multiple vehicle types, including vehicles with more than three axles, vehicles with steerable axle lifts and straight trucks that tow trailers.
• Elimination of a fixed driving calibration procedure each time an ECU is replaced in the field. The system is designed to automatically adapt to the specific vehicle parameters during the normal driving process.
