Brigade launch new radar safety system
New Backsense obstacle-detection system for mobile plant helps improve safety on site
BRIGADE Electronics have launched a new, easy-to-use radar obstacle-detection system that improves safety by providing drivers with clear warnings of people or obstructions in the way of manoeuvring mobile plant. All the models in the range divide the specified detection area into five zones and provide a visual and audible warning when objects enter the hazard area.
Brigade say drivers and operators will appreciate the new Backsense in-cab display with its clear, easy-to-read visual warning consisting of five LEDs corresponding to five distance zones from the vehicle. The warning buzzer has an adjustable sound level from 65dB to 90dB (at a distance of 1m) making it audible in even the noisiest working environments.
The robust sensor is impervious to water, dust and mud, making it especially well suited to operations in harsh conditions.
New Backsense controls the radar beam pattern, so the spread of the beam can be restricted to the width of the plant (or beyond if preferred) for the length of the detection area to minimize false alerts on a busy site or in a crowded quarry or mine.
Moreover, with detection areas up to 30m in length, Brigade’s Backsense can also be used to help drivers maintain safe braking distances when travelling in convoy with heavy loads.
Four new Backsense models are available. The BS-8000 is a fully programmable, flexible product offering a bespoke detection area from 3m to 30m in length, with a width between 2m and 10m.
The five detection zones can be tailored to suit the vehicle and its surroundings, as can the zones in which the buzzer and other equipment, eg an external bbs-tek White Sound warning alarm, are activated. Parts of the plant intruding into the detection area can be programmed out, and all configuration is done with simple-to-use PC-based software; no expensive programming tool has to be bought separately.
There are also three models with fixed detection areas measuring 3.0m, 4.5m and 6.0m in length.
The new Backsense radar system will be on show at Hillhead 2014, which takes place next week (24–26 June) at Hillhead Quarry, near Buxton, Derbyshire, where Brigade Electronics will have their own demonstration vehicle fitted with the latest camera/monitor products, ultrasonic sensors for side detection, and the bbs-tek White Sound reversing/movement alarm.
