Lexus Safety Sense: How Does it Work?
December 11 2020, Lexus Laval
The vehicles we buy today are all loaded with safety features. At Lexus, there are different groups of systems that take the name Lexus Safety Sense (LSS+, LSS 2.0, LSS 2.5, for example).
Depending on the model, some provide more features than others, but essentially the same safety elements are engineered in every Lexus vehicle. These include a pre-crash system with pedestrian detection, dynamic cruise control, lane departure warning, automatic low beam and lane assist.
What these systems do is described in the name, but is there often an interest in how they work? The answer is no. Here's why we wanted to take a tour with you.
In the case of Intelligent Cruise Control, as well as Frontal Collision Warning (and Pedestrian Detection), it's a radar hidden behind the grille that acts like eyes that never blink. It constantly monitors what's happening in front of it through programmed functions and acts accordingly on the systems it serves.
For the adaptive cruise control, the radar monitors the distance to the vehicle in front according to the parameters chosen inside the cockpit. It then helps us maintain this distance at all times and even allows the car to brake or accelerate autonomously, depending on what is happening in front. For the detection of pedestrians and obstacles in front, the radar becomes a reactive tool because when it anticipates danger or an imminent collision, it tells the system to alert the driver (audible and visual signals) and orders the car to apply the brakes if necessary.
Without a radar behind the grille, the system cannot operate.
For items such as the system that keeps you in the middle of your lane, or the system that corrects you to get you back on track, cameras located inside the windshield monitor the lines on the road to determine if the vehicle you are driving is properly centered in its lane. When the cameras notice that you are about to get out of your lane without using your turn signal, they intervene.
Another use of the camera located inside the windshield allows the automatic low beam system to switch between regular and high beam headlights when driving on a poorly lit road at night. The camera recognizes the headlights of oncoming vehicles and also recognizes the headlights of cars being followed. In such cases, it activates the regular headlights to avoid glare from other drivers.
Radars, sensors, cameras, these are the tools that allow all the functionalities of the Lexus Safety Sense system to work properly.
