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Source: The following is excerpted from an International Industrial Vehicle Technology post about Liebherr improving the safety of its wheel loaders with the addition of brake assistant and other features in the personnel-detection system.
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – Accidents with wheel loaders occur most when the machine operator reverses after a loading process. Construction machine accidents can often result in severe injuries and significant damage. To ensure maximum safety, Liebherr has developed its active personnel detection at the rear which now has an integrated braking assist function and an incident map.
Active personnel detection visually alerts the machine operator via the display screen and sounds acoustic signals if there is danger in the wheel loader’s rear area. In order to provide a specific warning of imminent injury to people, the assistance system, using smart sensors, provides specific warning of people in the rear area of the wheel loader at a greater distance than for obstructions such as walls, columns or other vehicles.
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This means the assistance system avoids unnecessary signals, thereby reducing the burden on the machine operator and causing fewer distractions.
The moment the active personnel detection system identifies a source of danger, the brake assistant slows the wheel loader down to a standstill. The braking process is therefore initiated at an earlier stage and quicker than in the case of traditional braking since, with the brake assistant, there is no delay caused by human reaction time. This means there is an important reduction in the stopping distance which, in turn, reduces the frequency and severity of accidents.
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In the case of the brake assistant, the hydrostatic components of the drive train automatically reduce the speed. This means the machine operator can continue to operate the wheel loader service brake in the normal way and can do this in addition to the brake assist.
The entire post can be viewed by clicking HERE.
