New EBS system increases performance, simplifies installation

Vehicle safety is a pillar of the design on the new Mack Pioneer™. Key to this is the commitment to prevent accidents as much as possible and to mitigate their severity.

One of the newest improvements is the introduction of the Electropneumatic Braking System (EBS), a completely new pneumatic architecture that increases performance while reducing parts complexity. The EBS provides the following features:

• Precision control of air pressure at the wheel ends
• Adjusts to meet the air pressure needed in different situations
• ABS valves combined into mechatronic devices
• Enhanced diagnostics
• Unchanged braking functionality and standards

These features deliver smoother, more consistent braking, particularly at low speeds, and driver does not need to change the brake pedal pressure under different load conditions. Fewer components mean simplified installation and faster, more precise diagnostics. No technician retraining is needed with EBS, and pneumatic braking remains available.

EBS is just one part of Mack Protect, a proprietary collision mitigation system based on tightly integrated active safety systems engineered by Mack Trucks.

Mack Protect incorporates audible and visual warnings inside the truck as well as interventions to help migrate collisions. The system uses forward and side radars and forward-looking cameras mounted on the windshield. These devices scan the road ahead of the truck for vehicles and other object that are in the truck’s path.

The system works by alerting drivers to approaching objects, such as people and other vehicles, and if the driver does not take action, the system will progressively intervene and activate warnings, de-throttle the engine, activate the engine brake and apply the service brake to avoid a collision.

Mack Protect contains the following features:

• Integrated anti-lock braking system (ABS) and electronic stability control (ESC): ABS and ESC together are the backbone of both controlling and stopping a vehicle. The integration of ABS and ESC along with advanced front and side radars and forward-looking cameras alert drivers to potential problems and intervene as needed.
• Adaptive Cruise Control: ACC maintains a set vehicle speed but also adjusts that speed to maintain safe following distances between vehicles.
• Following Distance Option: The driver can select from three levels of traveling distances – 3.5 seconds, 3.5 to 1.5 seconds, or 3.5 to 2.5 seconds; with options 2 and three you have five selectable settings.
• ACC Traffic Stop and Go: This feature can help drivers when they are in traffic congestion.
• Forward Collision Warning: Always on when the vehicle is traveling more than 3 miles per hour, this feature uses a forward-looking long-range radar system to identify objects in the driver’s path including other vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians. If ACC does not mitigate the problem, the system will alert the driver about the hazard.
• Heads Up Display: Drivers will receive audible, visual and haptic (vibration) feedback when the system detects a dangerous situation. The HUD projects a red bar on the windshield in the driver's line of sight to warn of following distance or collision warnings. This feature provides the driver with an extra level of defense to prevent a collision.
• Lane Change Support: Side radars detect objects — including vulnerable road users such as cyclists and pedestrians — from slightly ahead of the front of the truck’s hood to the back of the trailer. It is available on the passenger side of the vehicle or on both the passenger and driver sides. LCS on the driver’s side is a first for the trucking industry.
• Lane Departure Warning: If the truck drifts across lane markers without the turn signal being activated, the system will alert the driver via a visual warning in the instrument cluster, plus audible warnings from the left or right side depending on truck direction.
• Lane Departure Deactivation: If the driver is traveling on a road with inconsistent lane markings, like construction zones, the lane departure warning feature could provide false warnings. An LDW disable switch allows the driver to deactivate the system for 10 minutes at a time.
• Lane Keep Assist: This feature is available on trucks that have Mack’s Command Steer, a feature that adds an electric motor to the steering gear. LKA assists the driver with keeping the truck centered in the lane by continuously providing steering assistance when a vehicle veers out of its lane.
• Road Sign Recognition: The system is able to recognize a variety of road signs, up to three of which can be displayed in the instrument cluster at one time in the Co-Pilot display.
• Driver Awareness Support: This new feature is designed to help prevent accidents caused by fatigued drivers. The system monitors driver behavior and position in the truck compared to the lane. It can detect behavior indicating drowsy or inattentive drivers.

Safety firsts on the Mack Pioneer

• Mack proprietary ADAS
• Radar on the right- and left-hand side of the truck

Mack Protect was developed to help Mack drivers reach zero preventable collisions.

“Our goal is to protect the driver and prevent any collisions from occurring in a Mack.”

— Scott Sokach, Senior Product Manager – Complete Vehicle and Safety, Mack Trucks