Iteris Ships 1st Major AutoVue Order

Iteris Inc., an Anaheim sensors technology firm, has shipped the first mass-production order of a video-based lane-change warning system to DaimlerChrysler in Europe for use on Mercedes-Benz’s Actros commercial trucks.

The AutoVue lane departure warning system was developed by Iteris and DaimlerChrysler to help eliminate accidents caused by unintended lane changes.

Iteris expects that the system, though designed for commercial trucks, eventually will be offered on automobiles and sport-utility vehicles.

Iteris, a subsidiary of digital information and robotics pioneer Odetics Inc. in Anaheim, said its contract with DaimlerChrysler is open-ended. The initial order was for 100 units, which add less than $1,000 to the cost of each truck.

The company expects to announce its first U.S. sale this month.

AutoVue uses on-board video cameras and image-recognition software to track lane markings. When the system senses the vehicle drifting into the next lane, it sounds an alarm that mimics the distinctive rumble of tires on sections of deeply grooved pavement called rumble strips.

The sound was chosen because it alerts drowsy or inattentive drivers without causing them to overreact, Iteris spokeswoman Anne Warde said.

Highway safety statistics show that thousands of accidents are caused each year by unintended lane changes. Lane departures also are identified as a major cause of rollover incidents involving sport utility vehicles and light trucks.