The Sideguard Assist system, available since 2016 and minimises the probability of dangerous accidents on the co-driver's side when the vehicle turns to the right, has now been revised and improved.
Until now the warnings issued by Sideguard Assist in the Actros were shown in the form of an LED light on the A-pillar in the cab's interior.
In the new Actros, Sideguard Assist now uses the MirrorCam display to warn drivers visually when the system detects a moving or stationary object in the monitored zone on the co-driver's side of the truck.
The system can thus warn drivers in good time on the monitor of cyclists or pedestrians they may not have seen. MirrorCam and Sideguard Assist work hand-in-hand – overloading the driver with information is thus avoided and all of the relevant warnings are located together in a single location.
Also, Sideguard Assist can now support the driver under certain conditions when turning to the left: on trucks with a frame overhang of more than 1.5 m behind the last rear axle, there is a risk that the right-hand rear corner of the vehicle may veer out when turning to the left.
This can result in a dangerous collision between the frame overhang and other road users.
These could be pedestrians, cyclists or other vehicles, for example. However in the new Actros, Sideguard Assist can warn the driver of such a collision in good time.
Also, the new Actros is the first series production truck in the world to be equipped with the new MirrorCam.
Instead of the usual main and wide-angle mirrors, this system works with digital cameras and displays.
The images from the camera are transmitted directly to two displays which are mounted on the A-pillars in the cab.
A side effect that increases safety: the driver also has an unhindered view at an angle past the A-pillars thus increasing the driver's field of vision.
Furthermore, sometimes drivers drive with mirrors that are incorrectly positioned so that a so-called "blind spot" is created on the co-driver's side in which pedestrians and cyclists can be overlooked.
When using MirrorCam the problem of incorrectly positioned mirrors no longer exists because the cameras automatically adopt the correct position prior to pulling away and the display always shows the same complete image from every perspective.
But that's not all: MirrorCam assists the driver in other situations: in bends, for example, the camera image pivots so that the driver can always see the end of the trailer.
A special wide-angle mode assists the driver when manoeuvring or reversing.
