WABCO TAILGUARD, Manual

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Introduction Introduction
1 Introduction
This description is mainly intended for persons who want to plan the installation of TailGUARD™ in refuse collection
vehicles and carry out the installation.
TailGUARD™ is a system for monitoring the area behind vehicles which is automatically activated when reverse gear
is engaged. TailGUARD™ was initially developed for trailers. The system is also installed on towing vehicles and
buses for monitoring the area behind the vehicle when reversing with the aid of ultrasonic sensors.
If the system detects an obstacle in the intended path of travel, it acoustically and optically indicates the distance to
the driver. When the vehicle reaches a defined minimum distance to the object, the vehicle can be stopped by an
automatic actuation of the braking system.
Refuse collection vehicles frequently in reverse gear
The system is particularly useful on refuse collection vehicles since they are often forced to cope with both shorter and
comparatively long distances in reverse gear, for instance in cul-de-sacs where there is insufficient space for turning
around. In situations like this, the driver has to negotiate longer distances over which he is partially unsighted when
looking in the rear-view mirrors. This means that he may overlook obstacles in the road or people crossing over behind
the refuse collection vehicle.
Another special scenario: constant presence of people in the area
behind the vehicle
There is another important reason for installing a reverse monitoring system. In the case of most refuse collection
vehicles, people are constantly working behind the vehicle who have to manoeuvre the refuse containers to the
respective lifting and tipping mechanism, and then hook them into position before they are lifted and emptied. It often
happens that refuse collections cannot stop the vehicle in time due to carelessness or a sudden health impairment.
This regularly results in serious accidents and several deaths every year. This can be prevented to a large extent by
installing TailGUARD™ as a reverse monitoring system.