GM/Opel flagship will recognize traffic signs

[Oracle of Delphi]

Tony Lewin

Automotive News Europe

June 19, 2008 15:39 CET

GM's new Insignia will be the first production car to feature a dual-function frontal camera with traffic sign recognition, says Opel Vauxhall.

The system, supplied by Hella, uses a single screen-mounted camera to feed separate processors for both road-sign recognition and lane-departure warning.

However, premium automaker BMW may just beat GM to the honor of being first to market with a system that can identify signs.

BMW will debut its system "later this year," said technology spokeswoman Katharina Bölsterl.

She declined to specify which model the system would first appear on, and would not confirm that, as industry sources say, the supplier will also be Hella.

GM's camera system will be available on Insignias from spring 2009, said spokesman Simon Hucknall.

The upper-medium Insignia, which replaces the Vectra, will be unveiled at the London auto show next month and will go on sale in the final quarter of the year.

Premium models including the Mercedes S class and Lexus LS460 already offer frontal camera and night vision systems, but none has traffic-sign recognition capability. Many models ? from the lower-medium Citroen C4 and Honda CRV upwards ? already feature lane-departure warning.

GM's front camera system was jointly developed by Vauxhall-Opel and Hella. The camera detects both lane markings and signs alongside the road, taking 30 pictures a second. Traffic sign recognition software identifies circular patterns and then looks for the numbers or symbols within them. If these match the stored images, the appropriate speed limit figure appears in the instrument display.

"It will even prioritize a no-overtaking sign over speed-limit warning signs," says GM.

BMW's system also displays road signs, either in the instrument panel or on the head-up display, said Bölsterl.

"Our system can also recognize the variable speed limit signs on motorway bridges, but it is not our policy to reduce the car's speed automatically," she told Automotive News Europe.

BMW already has-lane departure warning and will soon add blindspot recognition, said Bölsterl.

Link: http://www.autonews.com/article/20080619/A...paign_id=alerts

[CSpec]

Cool! I guess...

[FUTURE_OF_GM]

More unwanted bull$h! to allow people not to think while driving and cost us precious MPG because of weight.

Edited June 20, 2008 by FUTURE_OF_GM

[Blake Noble]

It is a neat feature, but one I would chose to pass on.

[Intrepidation]

...because people aren't smart enough to look at the signs and check the lanes themselves?

[balthazar]

>>"More unwanted bull&#036;h&#33; to allow people not to think while driving and cost use precious MPG because of weight."<<

Bing!Bing!Bing! We have a Winnah!

Pointless, worthless, needless, over-complicated garbage that yet again chips away at the sport/science of driving.... by the driver.

This will accomplish ONE thing, and ONE thing ONLY -- it'll enable texters.

Edited June 19, 2008 by balthazar

[CARBIZ]

Since 80% of the driver's out there don't recognize signs, this may be an improvement.

Twice today while out in a Corvette (demo!!!) we were nearly cut off twice by people who came to a rolling stop at an intersection. What they thought they could outrun a Vette????

[Blake Noble]

These sort of features (e.g. self-parallel parking systems, laser-guided cruise control, etc., etc., etc.) are really all about making a statement, both from the manufacturer of the car and the buyer/driver of the car, and that statement being made is that they are going to be technologically "with-the-times" at whatever cost.

To me, those sort of unintuitive options are the "dark side" to driving.

In a way, it would be nice to see GM producing a global model along the lines of the Dacia Logan, a bare bones form of essential automotive transportation, instead (could something like that fit with Pontiac?).

[balthazar]

IMO- the statement these gimmicks make is : 'I'm a lard-ass as a driver, and I want it all done for me so I don't have to pay attention to anything but my tom-tom and my cell-cell'.

[Camino LS6]

One more piece of techno-junk for the gadget pansies.

Useless fluff.

[Blake Noble]

When you boil it all down, it is a "competition of size" so to speak, a way to see who has the bigger technologically-advanced penis, on the side of both the manufacturer and the consumer.

Edited June 20, 2008 by YellowJacket894

[Camino LS6]

True enough.

It's like George Carlin says, it's just a "prick-waving" contest.

[ocnblu]

Why on earth would I want my car to recognize road signs? Utterly ridiculous.

[Oracle of Delphi]

Why on earth would I want my car to recognize road signs? Utterly ridiculous.

Maybe you would have less accidents if it did! :AH-HA_wink:

[z28luvr01]

Great. Something else to enable stupid people to operate a car (notice I didn't say "drive") while being oblivious to their surroundings until they inevitably crash into someone who actually was paying attention.

[balthazar]

Maybe if you need your car to look thru your windshield instead of you, you should stay at home in bed or ride the bus. How long before steering is computer-controlled?

[FUTURE_OF_GM]

Maybe if you need your car to look thru your windshield instead of you, you should stay at home in bed or ride the bus. How long before steering is computer-controlled?

That's where I think it is headed.

Someday, we won't be allowed to drive our cars because of *GASP* safety issues, CO2 fantasy and the freedom it allows us. But then again, soon enough we wont be able to afford to do anything but work anyway, so what does it matter?

[Drew Dowdell]

I'm sure Cadillac will get raked over the coals for not having at least 2 or 3 of these systems per car so they can be "better" than BMW.

[deftonesfan867]

GM has stated this is good when entering a construction area where signs are everywhere and sometimes those dolts don't put the speed limit sign where it can easily be seen. That's what it can be good for because then it doesn't mean taking your eyes off the road looking for the sign. I'm an excellent driver, but sometimes certain small towns put there speed limit signs in odd spots hoping to get you for speeding. It's happened to me before because the sign was at the end of the street facing the friggin highway and it was only ONE sign. No signs on the residential streets..

FTR I was doing 30 in a 20....where most streets are 30-35...

[ocnblu]

Blah, it's still worthless, like navi.

[Camino LS6]

Blah, it's still worthless, like navi.

Agreed.

[SoCalCTS]

Finally GM understands that the future is about technology! Yes, this is a pretty worthless thing but at least its going to be in GM cars. There are so many other worthless things in cars that we come to expect now. Such as, outside temperature, tire pressure, useless compasses that point to magnetic north instead of true north, etc.

oh and btw, Navi is essential in a vehicle. I would never buy a car again without it. GM needs to stop listening to the idiots who tell them to develop huge trucks, bare bones cars, stick shifts and all the other throw-back b.s. of 1960's America.

[Camino LS6]

Finally GM understands that the future is about technology! Yes, this is a pretty worthless thing but at least its going to be in GM cars. There are so many other worthless things in cars that we come to expect now. Such as, outside temperature, tire pressure, useless compasses that point to magnetic north instead of true north, etc.

oh and btw, Navi is essential in a vehicle. I would never buy a car again without it. GM needs to stop listening to the idiots who tell them to develop huge trucks, bare bones cars, stick shifts and all the other throw-back b.s. of 1960's America.

Good thing you aren't making the decisions, I'd never buy another new car. All of the other features you mention are at least useful, this gadget is pure junk.

Oh, and Nav is the most absurd waste of money as an OEM option.

[Blake Noble]

I do not need a Sat-NAV system. Instead of being lazy, I actually use road signs and read them!

[Oracle of Delphi]

Good thing you aren't making the decisions, I'd never buy another new car. All of the other features you mention are at least useful, this gadget is pure junk.

Oh, and Nav is the most absurd waste of money as an OEM option.

He is really Bob Lutz!

[Camino LS6]

He is really Bob Lutz!

Shhhh!