Every Result Counts to Make Emergency Brake Assistants Better
Hello, my name is Jonas Kremer and I am a driving engineer at Continental. At our location in Memmingen, Germany, state-of-the-art driving functions are put through their paces.
I am focusing on testing and securing emergency brake assistants. These systems help to make road traffic safer by detecting dangers and, if necessary, initiating emergency braking independently. Not only do they prevent rear-end collisions between cars, they also increasingly detect and protect other road users, such as pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists. The environment is monitored by various sensors, such as camera and/or radar. For development purposes, the assistants are tested both here on the test site and in worldwide road traffic. Depending on the degree of maturity, we allow the emergency brake assistant only theoretical interventions (“open loop”) or also active interventions (“closed loop “).
Steering and gas robots control the vehicle precisely to the centimetre according to my specifications.
My day-to-day work in Memmingen not only includes the commissioning of our test vehicles with appropriate sensors and measuring technology, but also the execution of the tests themselves, e.g. by means of driving robots. The tests are mainly carried out with special “dummies”. They have the advantage that in the event of a collision they do not cause any major damage, but from the sensor’s point of view they still have realistic properties.
Thus we can reproduce all driving maneuvers and traffic situations and test the assistants, especially in borderline situations. The results and findings flow directly into the development and help to make emergency brake assistants more intelligent and reliable. The exciting thing about my job is being able to experience and feel our development progress in the vehicle every day. Every test we carry out and every scenario we depict brings us a little closer to our goal, Vision Zero.
Our emergency brake assistant also prevents accidents at intersections.
During my studies, my enthusiasm for automated driving led me to a Euro NCAP test laboratory, where I was able to test various assistance systems and develop test procedures as part of my diploma thesis.
After almost 5 years of professional experience, the obvious next step was to incorporate my ideas and findings directly into the development of a vehicle or component manufacturer and to make my personal contribution to road safety.
Continental turned out to be one of the most important innovation drivers in this field and an ideal employer. Above all, the personal development opportunities speak for themselves. After just one year with the company, I was nominated for the expert career path and now, in addition to my day-to-day business, as a Local Expert for Safety Function Tests, I have the mission of building up, securing and passing on knowledge. In addition to promotion opportunities in project management or management, the expert career path at Continental offers equal career opportunities. Especially for technology enthusiasts like me, this is the perfect development path.
This article was written by our employee.
