BMW Introduces the Narrow Passage Assistant

German carmaker BMW recently revealed a new system especially developed to assist drivers when they are driving along particularly narrow lanes. Dubbed BMW Narrow-passage assistant, the system will guide you, for example, when driving near building works and you have concentrate very carefully because of the reduced width.

The narrow-passage assistant enhances driver control, allowing to correctly assess a narrow passage in advance, keep to their line precisely when they are driving through the narrow passage, and maintain the optimum safety gap on both sides.

The system uses a laser scanner which measures the area in front of the vehicle, and ultrasonic sensors that estimate the lateral gap to obstacles such as crash barriers or other vehicles. The data collected is pooled and an overall picture is generated that is then transmitted to the driver.

Overtaking maneuvers will also be made easier through this system. If there is not enough room in the driver’s own lane in order to carry out the maneuver without risk, the narrow-passage assistant will warn the driver in advance. If he is permitted to carry on with the maneuver, the driver also receives instructions while he is overtaking that enable him to keep the ideal gap on both sides.

When they were developing the narrow-passage assistant, the specialists at BMW conducted comprehensive usability tests by using a drive simulator that indicated that the combination of optical signals and a brief steering pulse were the most effective method of providing support for the driver in this kind of situations.