Audi Q7 375 User Manual

Service Training

Audi Q7 - New Driver Assistance Systems

z Audi side assist
z Optical parking system (OPS)
z Reversing camera

Self-study programme 375

Driver assistance systems

The continuous improvement of vehicle safety is one of the foremost objectives in the development of new
vehicles. New driver assistance systems that have been introduced into series production for the first time on
board the Audi Q7 make a considerable contribution in this regard. On request, a number of innovative driver
assistance systems are also available in the Q7, for example the radar-based Audi side assist, the optical
parking system with audible and visual information and the reversing camera.

A frequent cause of accidents when changing lanes is that other vehicles are overlooked.
By continuously monitoring the adjacent lanes, in particular the area to the rear of the vehicle, the Audi side
assist supports the driver during overtaking and lane-change manoeuvres and thus makes a contribution to
active safety. The driver is alerted if one of the adjacent lanes is occupied by one or more road users. Despite
the system’s capability, the driver must always be aware that the system serves as an aid, but cannot take the
responsibility away from the driver for his/her own decisions. Despite the Audi side assist, it is still necessary
for the driver to turn his/her head, look in the side mirror and observe the traffic.

The electronic parking aid system has been further improved. Two new functions are now available to the
customer. The familiar acoustic parking aid system has been expanded by a graphic screen display in the
MMI. Using bar diagrams this provides the customer with a detailed depiction of the point at which a collision
may occur. The bar diagrams permit the distance from the obstacle to be estimated with precision.
The familiar acoustic feedback is retained.

Drivers who would prefer to get a picture of the situation behind the rear of the vehicle for themselves, can
have the image from a reversing camera displayed on the MMI screen. The camera which has been
integrated into the tailgate handle provides an ideal overview of the situation behind the vehicle. The camera
image appears automatically when reverse gear is engaged.

Taking the lead: With design & performance

Contents

Audi side assist. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Optical parking system (OPS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Reversing camera. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

The self-study programme provides basic information on the design and function of new vehicle models,
new vehicle components or new technologies.

The self-study programme is not intended as a workshop manual.
The specified values only serve for better understanding and relate to
the software versions applicable at the time the SSP was compiled.

For maintenance and repair operations it is essential that you refer to the current technical literature.

NoteReference

Audi side assist

Audi side assist in the Audi Q7

Introduction

The purpose of the Audi side assist is to monitor the area behind and to the side the vehicle using radar
sensors and assist the driver when changing lanes. The area monitored also includes the so-called "blind
spot" on the driver side and the front passenger side. Each vehicle side is fitted with a radar sensor for this
purpose.

If the Audi side assist detects a critical situation that could cause an accident during a lane change,
the system alerts and warns the driver. The driver is alerted through activation of the warning lamps in the
relevant exterior mirror and warned through the warning lamps flashing rapidly.

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4

Radar sensors and control units

The Audi side assist is equipped with two control
units, the side assist control unit J769 (master
control unit) and the side assist control unit 2 J770
(slave control unit). The master control unit forms a
single module with the right radar sensor, while the
slave control unit forms a single module with the
left radar sensor.

The master and slave control units are identical in
design. The main component is an electronic circuit
board with a digital signal processor as the central
processing unit. Among other functions, it is used
to record and track objects detected by means of
the radar sensors. The system is manufactured by
Hella.

375_001

The aerial circuit board with integrated transmitting
and receiving aerials is connected to the electronic
circuit board via a connector console.
The transmitting aerial comprises 40 copper
squares, whereas the 3 receiving aerials comprise 8
or 16 copper squares. The technical term for the
copper squares is "patch".
The physical properties of the reflected beams
picked up by the receiving aerials are evaluated by
the digital signal processor. Based on these
properties, the size, position and speed of the
object reflecting the beams is calculated.

A plastic cover, referred to as the "radom", is fitted
on the control unit.
This is made from a special plastic which is ideal for
allowing the radar beams to pass through, without
causing any significant losses.

Receiving aerials Transmitting aerial

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5

Audi side assist

Fitting locations

In the Audi Q7, the two control unit modules are located in the area of the rear bumper and fastened to the
end plate. The end plate is clipped to the bumper cover and bolted to the body. The bumper conceals the
modules, making them invisible from the outside, unlike the parking aid sensors. Because the bumper cover is
made of plastic, it does not represent an obstacle to radar beams.

The modules are installed at an angle of 22 degrees with respect to the vehicle transversal axis, providing
better coverage for scanning the side areas. They are inclined upwards at an angle of approx. 3 degrees.
Once fastened to the vehicle, precise calibration is conducted using the diagnostic tester and special
calibration tools.
Calibration and the tools required are described in more detail in a later chapter.
A mechanical fine adjustment, as familiar from the ACC, is not possible for the side assist sensors.

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Radar sensor detection zone

The detection zone consists of areas to the rear and to both sides of the vehicle. The rear detection area
extends from the rear edge of the vehicle to approx. 50 metres rearwards. This corresponds to the grey area
between lines A and B. The side area extends from the rear edge of the vehicle to approximately the line of the
B-pillar, which corresponds to the grey area between lines B and C. The width of the grey areas measures
approximately 3.60 metres.

50 m

3.6 m

3.6 m

50 m

Sensor detection zone

375_005

The illustration of the sensor detection zone shows a straight stretch of road. On curved road sections,
the Audi side assist operates above a minimum curve radius of approx. 170 metres. If the radius of the curve
drops below the 170 m limit, the Audi side assist is deactivated because the emitted radar beams can no
longer monitor the full 50 metres of the rear detection zone. This deactivation threshold is provided with a
hysteresis of 30 metres. This means that if the Audi side assist has been deactivated due to the radius of the
curve, it is reactivated when the radius of a curve exceeds 200 m.

The course of the road is calculated by the side assist control unit by means of the yaw rate and the individual
wheel speeds from the ABS control unit J104. The curved detection zone during cornering is represented as a
straight road section by the software. This ensures that the basis of the assessment for the warning algorithm
used to determine whether or not the driver needs to be alerted is the same for straight roads and bends.

7

Audi side assist

Warning lamps in the exterior mirrors

The Audi side assist warns or alerts the driver, as appropriate, of potential hazards during a lane change by
means of warning lamps integrated into the two exterior mirrors.

The usual service designations for these are: Side assist warning lamp in driver side exterior mirror K233 and
side assist warning lamp in front passenger side exterior mirror K234.
The two warning lamps K233 and K234 can be replaced individually, without having to remove the mirror
housing. This procedure is described in the Workshop Manual.

The warning lamps are activated directly by the side assist slave control unit J770.
They comprise four yellow LEDs.

375_006

If the Audi side assist recognises a critical situation in one of the two lanes, and no imminent lane change is
indicated, the driver is informed of this situation through illumination of the warning lamp in the relevant
exterior mirror. If an intended change of lane is indicated through actuation of a turn signal and the adjacent
lane is occupied, the driver is warned by the warning lamp flashing on and off four times.

The customer can adjust the brightness of the warning lamps to 5 different levels via the MMI.
The current ambient brightness measured by the rain and light sensor G397 is also used for determining the
brightness of the warning lamps.

8

Two specific traffic situations

By way of an example, two typical traffic situations
resulting in a warning being provided by the Audi
side assist are described below:

Scenario 1

The vehicle with the Audi side assist is being driven
in the centre lane of a three-lane motorway and is
currently overtaking the vehicle on the right-hand
side. The speed difference between the vehicle with
Audi side assist (SWA) and the vehicle being
overtaken is less than 15 km/h. This small difference
in speed means that the overtaking manoeuvre will
take some time and that the vehicle being overtaken
will disappear into the "blind spot" at a certain
point. In this situation, the warning lamp in the right
exterior mirror must alert the driver that the
right-hand lane is occupied. If the driver of the
vehicle equipped with Audi side assist then
activates the right turn signal, the driver is warned
by four flashes in the right exterior mirror.

Scenario 2

The vehicle with the Audi side assist (SWA) is being
driven at a moderate speed in the right-hand lane of
the three-lane motorway. A vehicle in the centre
lane approaches from behind at a much faster
speed. The approaching vehicle is detected by the
Audi side assist, which activates the warning lamp
in the left exterior mirror. If the left turn signal is
now actuated nonetheless, the driver is warned of a
potential collision before changing lanes by means
of a flashing warning lamp.

The maximum distance between the two vehicles at
which the warning lamps are activated depends on
the speed difference between the two vehicles.
The greater the difference in speed, the greater the
maximum distance between the two vehicles at
which the driver is alerted to the imminent collision.
At the earliest, however, a warning can be issued
from a distance of 50 m, as 50 m is the upper limit of
the detection range of the radar sensors.

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9

Audi side assist

Operating the system

The side assist button E530 is located in the driver door, to the right of the central locking switch. The button
is used for switching the Audi side assist on and off. A red LED in the button indicates its current status. If the
LED is illuminated, this means that the Audi side assist is switched on. If the LED is not illuminated, the system
is either switched off or faulty. Every time the system is restarted it readopts the last valid system status.

When switched on, the Audi side assist may be either active or inactive.
Two conditions must be met in order for the system to be activated: the road speed must exceed a minimum
speed of 60 km/h and the current curve radius must not be less than 170 metres during cornering. If one of the
two conditions is no longer met, the Audi side assist switches to the inactive mode.

It should be noted, however, that the driver is not
provided with any indication as to whether the
system is in the active or inactive state.

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Adjusting the brightness of the warning lamps

Using the MMI, the customer can individually adjust
the brightness of the warning lamps in the exterior
mirrors. For this purpose, the "Audi side assist"
menu item in the Car menu of the MMI must be
selected and activated by pressing the rotary
control.

The brightness of the warning lamp can be set to
5 different levels. The third level is the factory
default. Having completed the selection, the
warning lamps are switched on for 2 s at the
selected brightness.

Personalisation

At the end of a journey, the brightness setting
selected by the driver is stored in the side assist
control unit J769 (master control unit) under the
vehicle key last used. This setting is reactivated for
the next journey made with this vehicle key.

User Log book

Display brightness

brighter darker

Systems Version

Car

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11

Audi side assist

Implementation of function in hardware and software

System circuit diagram

The master and slave control units exchange data via a dedicated high-speed CAN bus.
The master control unit is connected to the extended CAN, enabling data exchange with other bus modules
via the data bus diagnostic interface J533. The master control unit is also responsible for reading in the side
assist button E530, while the slave control unit actuates the two warning lamps K233 and K234 in the exterior
mirrors.

Data bus

diagnostic

interface

J533

Side assist

warning lamp

in driver side

exterior mirror

K233

Extended CAN

Side assist

control unit 2

- slave ­J770

Dedicated CAN

Side assist control unit

- master ­J769

Side assist

warning lamp in front

passenger side
exterior mirror

K234

Side assist

button

E530

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