Bendix Commercial Vehicle systems released new technical information for components of its advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) technologies, including trailer antilock brakes, steering systems and forward-looking cameras.
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"The safety systems on today's commercial vehicles are more road-proven and effective in supporting safe drivers than ever," says Nicole Oreskovic, Bendix vice president of sales and marketing. "They're also more complex and interconnected, which means we need to thoroughly support the skilled people who keep them in top operating condition. Our technical teams at Bendix are constantly collaborating with customers and communicating with fleets to address their specific maintenance concerns and develop the materials they need."
Bendix says the materials are designed to help technicians properly set up, inspect and diagnose components integrated with ADAS technologies. The materials are available at brake-school.com and B2Bendix.com.
"Trailer brakes and integration with stability control systems play a key role in vehicle safety, and with the wide range of Bendix Trailer Antilock Braking System (TABS) configurations available, it's crucial to ensure the correct connection and calibration," says Jon Intagliata, Bendix's vice president of trailers, NA. "You need to progress through the right steps to let the vehicle's electronic control unit (ECU) know how the trailer brakes are configured properly. This is called an 'end-of-line' test, and it runs differently depending on what TABS product is equipped."
The materials also offer guidance on whether to hook up using the seven-way trailer connector or a CAN connection directly to the ECU.
TJ Thomas, Bendix's director of marketing and customer solutions — controls group, says that technologies like collision mitigation, lane keep assist and speed sign recognition depend on a windshield mounted camera. Improper placement of that camera can impair these systems.
"Sometimes, this issue can occur during replacement of the camera itself or during a windshield replacement," Thomas says. "In any case, you're going to need the right placement camera and bracket, along with correct location measurements, depending on the vehicle make and model."
The new materials update installing and removing the Bendix AutoVue FLC-20 camera and brackets used with the Wingman Fusion systems. It also addresses specific vehicle manufacturer variations.
More and more ADAS technologies are incorporating steering, Bendix says, and new materials from subsidiary R.H. Sheppard Co. address the proper inspection and troubleshooting of steering systems on vehicles equipped with steering assist technology. There's also new content on brake-school.com with instructions on using Bendix ACom PRO Diagnostics Software for steering assist system pressure trimming and coil polarity testing.
"We're very proud of our field-tested sales and service professionals and all they do to develop and share our training education programs," Oreskovic says. "They're a huge part of our post-sales product support efforts, and they're the reason Bendix has the reputation it does for providing insight and expertise across the industry."
