Ford introduces Curve Control for US models

A good driver will know how to adjust his speed when about to drive through a curve, braking and decelerating so that the car can track through the curve in a stable manner. But, each year, some 50,000 drivers in the US fail to either adjust their speed or misjudge the speed at which a corner can be taken and crash. The large number of such accidents led Ford researchers to look for ways to help the driver maintain control of the vehicle when taking a curve too quickly.
 

 

They’ve finally come up with a technology that can do that and it’s called Curve Control, which will be standard equipment on the all-new Ford Explorer  to be on sale later this year, and will be offered on 90% of the company’s North American crossovers, sport utilities, trucks and vans by 2015. No word on when models sold elsewhere will have this technology but it’s hard to imagine Ford not offering it in later years.
 

The technology senses when a driver is taking a curve too quickly and can slow the vehicle by up to 16 km/h in about one second. Curve Control is said to be effective on dry or wet roads and is expected to be particularly useful when drivers are entering or exiting highways with too much speed. When a vehicle enters a curve too fast, the system responds to the driver’s steering input by rapidly reducing torque and increasing brake pressure on all wheels to help keep the vehicle under control.
 

The patent-pending system works by measuring how quickly the vehicle is turning and comparing that with how quickly the driver is trying to turn. When the vehicle is not turning as much as the driver is steering – also known as “pushing” – Curve Control activates. The system applies the precise amount of braking required on each wheel to enhance the individual wheel braking of the traditional stability control system. Based on Ford’s exclusive AdvanceTrac with RSC (Roll Stability Control), Curve Control uses sensors to measure roll rate, yaw rate, lateral acceleration, wheel speed and steering wheel angle, and runs calculations based on those inputs 100 times every second.
 

“Ford is developing technologies such as Curve Control and radar-based collision warning systems that can prevent crashes from happening in the first place,” said Paul Mascarenas, Ford vice president of Engineering for Global Product Development. “These new active systems designed to prevent accidents are the perfect complement for Ford’s leading passive safety systems – such as advanced airbags and high-strength vehicle structures – that protect occupants when a crash is inevitable.”
 

“While we strongly encourage our customers to drive at safe speeds, systems such as Curve Control can be useful in unexpected situations,” added Ali Jammoul, Ford chief engineer, Chassis Systems.
 

Curve Control technology may sound like an electronic stability control system but its objective is different. A stability control system is primarily used to neutralize understeer or oversteer when it occurs during cornering. Braking force is applied to specific wheels to induce a counteracting force and prevent the car from departing from the course the driver wants to follow.

Share this article with friends:  
 

 

Stay updated on new articles at this website by using Twitter. No charge to register an account.

Did you know the Motor Trader website now has sections for Homes, Gadgets, Jobs and even Boats?