By Emma Green
Founded in 1907 and based in Jamaica, New York, Rosco Vision is one of North America’s leading suppliers of backup camera systems, mirrors, video recording, sensor products, collision avoidance systems and other vision safety solutions to the worldwide commercial vehicle market.
As a developer and manufacturer of vision safety systems for all types of commercial fleet vehicles, Rosco offers a variety of Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) technologies pertinent to the transit and motorcoach industries including Mobileye Shield+ collision avoidance systems with pedestrian and cyclist detection, advanced data analytics systems to identify hot spots / danger areas, Safe-T-Scope 360 surround view technology with aerial coverage, and Digital Camera Monitor Systems (DCMS) to replace traditional exterior rearview mirrors.
Pedestrian and cyclist detection
Mobileye’s Shield+ collision avoidance technology designed for long vehicles, utilizes Mobileye’s EyeQ vision-based technology to scan the road ahead and alert drivers of potential risks and obstacles. The Mobileye Shield+ system monitors blind spots in the front and sides of the vehicle to ensure any at-risk pedestrians and cyclists are detected and the driver is alerted of any potential collisions.
“Shield+ is an evolution of Mobileye’s technology that was originally developed as a forward-facing single camera system for cars,” said Ben Englander, Rosco’s CEO. “Mobileye recognized the need to develop the same technology as a wrap-around, multi-camera system to reduce significant blind spots in long vehicles like transit buses.”
Englander also explained that while a traditional motor coach often operates along highways with lower pedestrian and cyclist exposure than transit buses, today’s applications for motor coaches include commuter routes into city and urban environments with multiple pickups. This modern-day repurposing of the coach bus combined with blind spot challenges has created an equal need for the Mobileye Shield+ collision avoidance technology for both motor coaches and transit buses alike.
“It’s important to point out that the sophisticated technology will not overburden drivers with alerts,” said Amy Ahn, director of marketing and digital engagement. “If you are in Manhattan, with hundreds of pedestrians and cyclists, you don’t want the system to alert the driver unless there is a risk of collision. That’s where the sophistication of the Mobileye technology comes in.”
According to Englander, Rosco has worked closely with Mobileye in the refinement of the Shield+ system’s parameters to ensure that, even in the densest urban environments, the system remains quiet, except in the circumstances where a significant risk occurs. Mobileye’s dedication to intelligent technology offers a world class system to support the needs of today’s drivers.
Digital Camera Monitoring System
One of Rosco’s newest and most innovative technologies is their Digital Camera Monitoring System (DCMS), a tool that utilizes cameras in place of an exterior rear-view mirror system, providing increased digital viewing capabilities through multiple monitors on the inside of the vehicle.
This highly reliable system adapts to different light conditions resulting in effective day and night views, as well as glare reduction. According to Senior National Sales Manager Matthew Eckert, the DCMS’ small, compact exterior cameras not only provide drastically increased depth and width of vision, but also create better aerodynamics, helping to eliminate wind resistance and lower fuel costs, particularly for long distance commercial coaches.
“It’s eye opening to see the difference in safety benefits that a system like this is going to provide to a commercial vehicle, especially in an urban environment, or even in a highway environment,” Eckert said. “The best attribute of technology is its unlimited ability to be enhanced for safety. If you can imagine it, you can do it. You just need to be able to think a little bit outside the box and we can start bringing those ideas to life, which is exciting.”
360 3D HD Surround Technologies
Developed to reduce collisions and increase safety, Rosco’s Safe-T-Scope 360 3D HD surround camera systems provide a full range of coverage using multiple cameras and fusion imaging technology. Multiple camera images, either shown together or separately, provide 2D and 3D options of full 360 or partial views of the vehicle, reducing blind spots and displaying vulnerable road users in blind zones.
The aerial surround system includes 192-degree cameras mounted towards the top on each side of the vehicle, one on the front, and one on the rear, and incorporates a high-definition monitor for the drivers to see views from the cameras’ integrated images.
“With the 360 system, the driver gets an aerial view without any blind spots around the bus,” Eckert explains. “Any driver who’s driven a long vehicle will understand the value of having this type of technology.”
The 360 system provides blind spot coverage, triggering cameras on the corresponding side of the vehicle each time the turn signal is activated, and with 10-inch high-definition monitors, drivers have a clear view of surrounding blind zones.
“Automotive safety used to be about seatbelts and airbags, Today, collision avoidance is the next step in this arena.” said Mike Cacic, senior collision avoidance program manager. “Instead of trying to protect people, let’s just avoid the impact to begin with.”