Ducati, KTM and also Kawasaki want to bring motorcycles onto the market, that use Bosch radar technology to measure the distance to vehicles in front and can therefore automatically adjust the speed of the motorcycle.
But Kawasaki also seems to be working on an alternative system.
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Corresponding radar systems are already very common in cars, but here there are manufacturers who see the advantages of camera systems too (e.g. Subaru). Kawasaki also appears to be working on a camera system, as patent drawings show.
Radar systems have the advantage that they can still clearly recognize objects, especially in poor visibility conditions, such as in fog or in the dark. However, cameras, in conjunction with the right software, can better detect differences between vehicles and objects on the roadside and clearly recognize which lane a vehicle in front is on. The system also responds faster because it can already recognize brake lights.
In order for a camera system to be used for speed control, a stereoscopic view is required, i.e. two cameras must be mounted at a fixed distance from one another. This is the only way the system can calculate a distance to an object.
According to Kawasaki’s patent drawings, the cameras are integrated into the side panel. Radar systems could not work at this point because no objects may be in the area in front of a radar system. So they must always be mounted directly on the front or rear. For optical reasons, the camera system would also have advantages.
The patent also shows that the camera-based system from Kawasaki could also be combined with a radar-based system (e.g. at the rear).
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