Active personnel detection for accident prevention

Liebherr released a comprehensive package of multiple intelligent assistance systems for the XPower® large wheel loaders in 2019. The purpose of these assistance systems is to optimise safety and comfort in everyday wheel loader operations. Active personnel detection at the rear is one of the new assistance systems developed by Liebherr and is available to customers on request. It alerts the operator to hazards in the rear area of the wheel loader. The system independently distinguishes between people and objects with the aid of sensors.

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Construction machine safety has continued to improve over the years. With state-of-the- art camera systems and visual aids, the risk of personal injury has been significantly reduced. Monotonous working methods and machine operators’ associated loss of concentration does however mean there is some remaining risk and accidents still occur. 

Liebherr’s new assistance systems increase safety and comfort in daily operation in a range of ways. One of their advantages is that they enable machine operators to concentrate more on operating their Liebherr wheel loader by removing additional distractions. For example, the active personal detection automatically provides a warning on the machine display and sounds acoustic signals if there is danger in the wheel loader’s rear area. A special feature of this system is that it automatically differentiates between people and objects with the aid of sensors.

If a person moves in the area behind the machine, the system alerts the machine operator. The active personnel detection is activated at a greater distance than warning systems for inanimate objects such as walls or columns. The operator therefore receives a more precise warning if there is a risk of personal injury. The active personal detection thereby avoids an overload of warning signals, which in turn reduces the burden on the machine operator as well as the risk of serious accidents.

In contrast to other systems on the market that respond to people via on-board radio transponders, the Liebherr system recognises people through intelligent environmental sensor technology. The advantage of this is that the external infrastructure and logistical effort connected with radio transponders are not required. Unauthorised people and bystanders are also recognised without special identification.