Safety minded emergency parking brake introduced 06 September 2011

Smart-Hitch has launched an emergency parking brake (EPB) for the commercial vehicle industry, with safety at the forefront of its innovation.

Brake-Lock EPB is claimed to apply the brake should the driver forget, thereby eliminating the risk of a truck rolling away. Attempting to move an unsafe vehicle also leads to the brake-Lock EPB system engaging, says Smart-Hitch's John Standen.

"When a vehicle is operated safely, Brake-Lock EPB has no effect," he explains. "But when the driver makes a mistake, the system safely immobilises the vehicle."

To release the system, the driver must first engage the parking brake control, make the vehicle safe – which depends on its sensors – and then operate a reset control.

At the heart of the system is an array of versatile sensor inputs that allow a variety of safety-critical vehicle functions to be monitored. Examples include: door sensors, cranes, tail lifts, tanker hose connections and operator proximity sensors.

Brake-Lock EPB monitors vehicle data via the CANbus and will only initially engage the emergency parking brake function when the vehicle is at a safe speed. Standen says the system incorporates safety redundancy features to ensure vehicle safety in the event of a fault.

"Any vehicle function can be monitored and used to prevent the vehicle from being driven in a dangerous condition," adds Standen.

Author
John Challen

Related Companies
Smart-Hitch Ltd

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