Harley-Davidson Developing Emergency Autonomous Braking System

Harley-Davidson is working on an Emergency Autonomous Braking System for the company's next generation motorcycles. Latest patent images filed by the American motorcycle manufacturer reveal that Harley-Davidson plans to use several sensors on the motorcycles to scan the motorcycle's path for any hazards that may cause a frontal collision, such as a car making a sudden turn or even an animal running across the highway. A controller processes the data and if it predicts an imminent collision, it automatically applies the bike's brakes and actuate the clutch to slow down and even stop the motorcycle.

The problem is that, on a motorcycle, such unexpected and sudden braking may throw the rider off balance, in the absence of seat belts, like in a car. The solution in Harley-Davidson's system is that additional sensors are used to determine whether the rider is physically and mentally prepared for emergency braking. The additional sensors on the handlebar grips determine if the rider has both hands on the handlebar, and sensors on the seat to determine if the rider is standing up on the footpegs, and even cognitive sensors mounted on the instrument panel and even inside the helmet to track the rider's eyes.

(Patent drawings reveal where warnings will be activated on the bike for a potential collision detected by sensors)

If these sensors determine the rider is not prepared for emergency braking by the autonomous braking system, the system turns on a series of warning indicators on the rear view mirrors and instrument panel , audio warnings, and even vibrations from haptic indicators in the handlebar and seat. Additionally, the system may also apply braking briefly, to make the rider aware of the autonomous system kicking in. If the rider still doesn't respond, the system will wait a few milliseconds before triggering the autonomous braking system and slowing down the motorcycle. If the system determines the rider is alert enough, it will start applying the emergency braking. And if the rider has already applied brakes, the system will assist by applying additional braking pressure.

However, the autonomous braking system may be over-ridden if the sensors determine the rider has the situation under control and assistance is not required. The technology is still in the patent stage, so there's still no confirmation if and when Harley-Davidson will start introducing this technology on a production ready model. It remains to be seen if at all such a rider assistance electronic system will be introduced in future or if it is developed into a completely different system altogether.