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Typically, when one thinks of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), systems such as Forward Collision Warning (FCW) and Collision Imminent Braking (CIB) come to mind. In these systems driver assistance is provided based on knowledge about the subject vehicle and surrounding objects. A new class of these systems is being implemented. These systems not only use information on the surrounding objects but also use information on the driver's response to an event, to determine if intervention is necessary. As a result of this trend, an advanced level of understanding of driver braking behavior is necessary. This paper presents an alternate method of analyzing driver braking behavior. This method uses a frequency content based approach to study driver braking and allows for the extraction of significantly more data from driver profiles than traditionally would have been done.

This paper describes the design and implementation of the SEA, Ltd. Brake and Throttle Robot (BTR). Presented are the criteria used in the initial design and the development and testing of the BTR, as well as some test results achieved with the device. The BTR is designed for use in automobiles and light trucks. It is based on a servomotor driven ballscrew, which in turn operates either the brake or accelerator. It is easily portable from one vehicle to another and compact enough to fit even smaller vehicles. The BTR is light enough so as to have minimal effect on the measurement of vehicle parameters. The BTR is designed for use as a stand-alone unit or as part of a larger control system such as the Automated Test Driver (ATD) yet allows for the use of a test driver for safety, as well as test selection, initiation, and monitoring. Installation in a vehicle will be described, as well as electronic components that support the BTR.

Automating road vehicle control can increase the range and reliability of dynamic testing. Some tests, for instance, specify precise steering inputs which human test drivers are only able to approximate, adding uncertainty to the test results. An automated steering system has been developed which is capable of removing these limitations. This system enables any production car or light truck to follow a user-defined path, using global position feedback, or to perform specific steering sequences with excellent repeatability. The system adapts itself to a given vehicle s handling characteristics, and it can be installed and uninstalled quickly without damage or permanent modification to the vehicle.

Modern passenger cars are being equipped with advanced driver assistance systems such as lane departure warning, collision avoidance systems, adaptive cruise control, etc. Testing for operation and effectiveness of these warning systems involves interaction between vehicles. While dealing with multiple moving vehicles, obtaining discriminatory results is difficult due to the difficulty in minimizing variations in vehicle separation and other parameters. This paper describes test strategies involving an automated test driver interacting with another moving vehicle. The autonomous vehicle controls its state (including position and speed) with respect to the target vehicle. Choreographed maneuvers such as chasing and overtaking can be performed with high accuracy and repeatability that even professional drivers have difficulty achieving. The system is also demonstrated to be usable in crash testing.

This paper describes a method to evaluate vehicle stability and controllability when the vehicle operates in the nonlinear range of lateral dynamics. The method is applied to open-loop steering maneuvers as well as closed-loop path-following maneuvers. Although path-following maneuvers are more representative of real world driving intent, they are usually considered inappropriate for objective assessment because of repeatability and accuracy issues. The automated test driver (ATD) can perform path-following maneuvers accurately and with good repeatability. This paper discusses the usefulness of application of the automated test drivers and path-following maneuvers. The dynamic mode of instability is not directly obtained from measurable outputs such as yawrate and lateral acceleration as in open-loop maneuvers. A few metrics are defined to quantify deviation from desired or ideal behavior in terms of observed “unexpected” lateral force and moment.

With the goal of improving the driver's steering performance, the four(all) wheel steering(4WS) system was designed, and theoretical and experimental analysis of the 4WS system was investigated. In the 4WS system the low speed maneuverability is better due to a smaller turning radius. In reality, however, the opposite steering of the rear wheels could be counter-productive for certain maneuvers as shown in the Fig.1. In this paper, this counter-productivity is called the parking problem. The objective of this study is to prevent the parking problem and to maintain the maneuverability of the 4WS vehicle. To accomplish this goal, a new concept of the 4WS system for the low speed range has been introduced.

The purpose of this paper is to give a description of using the new type Suspension Parameter Measurement Device. The design philosophy and specifications are elaborated on in another SAE paper entitled “Design of a New-Type Suspension Parameter Measurement Device”. The importance of using this new machine will be addressed in this paper. Because of the ease of use for this new device, testing can be accomplished in hours. To check repeatability, repeat testing can be done in a short period of time. This rapid testing is the main advantage of the new generation of SPMD's. The new SPMD collects raw data from transducers. All data are stored in the computer. Some are used directly to generate graphic outputs. Some are utilized to calculate wanted parameters. Graphs are generated so that some characteristics can be scrutinized. Parameters can be presented either by points or by cross plotting in graphs.

Multi-body simulations are very powerful tools in the modeling of dynamic mechanical systems. This study uses the multi-body simulation program ADAMS to analyze a light vehicle suspension. The paper introduces ADAMS modeling concepts and then applies them in a case study examining the effects of additional longitudinal compliance on the ride and handling behavior of a 1/4 car suspension model. The results were a marginal increase in the lateral stiffness of the vehicle, approximately the same ride performance, and an increase in the compliance steering angle.

The intent of this research is to understand the effects worn dampers have on vehicle stability and safety through dynamic model simulation. Dampers, an integral component of a vehicle's suspension system, play an important role in isolating road disturbances from the driver by controlling the motions of the sprung and unsprung masses. This paper will show that a decrease in damping leads to excessive body motions and a potentially unstable vehicle. The concept of poor damping affecting vehicle stability is well established through linear models. The next step is to extend this concept for non-linear models. This is accomplished through creating a vehicle simulation model and executing several driving maneuvers with various damper characteristics. The damper models used in this study are based on splines representing peak force versus velocity relationships.

This paper describes the design and development of the hardware, electronics, and software components of a state-of-the-art automated steering controller, the SEA, Ltd. ASC. The function of the ASC is to input to a vehicle virtually any steering profile with both high accuracy and repeatability. The ASC is designed to input profiles having steering rates and timing that are in excess of the limits of a human driver. The ASC software allows the user to specify steering profiles and select controller settings, including motor controller gains, through user-interface windows. This makes it possible for the test driver to change steering profiles and settings immediately after running any test maneuver. The motor controller used in the ASC offers self-contained signal input, output, and data storage capabilities. Thus, the ASC can operate as a standalone steering machine or it can be incorporated into typical existing, on-vehicle data acquisition systems.

Two computer models, ABAG 19 and HSRI-3D, were validated against experimental data to determine and compare their capability for simulating the responses of air bag restrained automobile occupants in severe frontal collisions. Standard sets of model input parameters were developed for both driver and passenger. The primary objective was to determine which model was best suited for determining potential crashworthiness in a large number of production vehicles. Advantages and disadvantages of the models were determined, using criteria such as accuracy, ease of use, quality of documentation and user orientation.

Composite material roof structures for multipurpose vehicles are comprised of a composite shell molded without metal frames as in most automobile rooftops. This paper experimentally analyzes the roof structure performance for a static uniformly distributed load over the roof surface and examines the tensile properties, effects of high temperatures and sound absorption characteristics of the random, chopped glass fiber reinforced epoxy resin material. The roof performance includes the load-strain history and the load-deflection behavior of the structure.

A test procedure that rates brake performance must control variability so that measured differences between vehicles are real. Tests were conducted using standard brake test procedures with three drivers in three cars on wet and dry asphalt with the ABS working and disabled. The differences between vehicles were greater than differences due to ABS condition, surface condition, and drivers. The procedure measured differences between all the vehicles with statistical certainty but used many replications and drivers. If only large differences in performance need to be distinguished, fewer replications and drivers will be needed.

One of the principal tools used by the accident reconstructionist to determine whether a vehicle occupant was properly restrained when an accident occurred is the examination and analysis of impact evidence and damage to interior structures of the vehicle. Careful analysis of such evidence not only assists in the determination of restraint usage, but can also provide insight into the pre-impact position of the occupant. However, the multi-faceted restraint systems and advanced materials used in modern vehicles can make the interpretation of vehicle interior damage difficult. This is especially true for impacts of mild or moderate severity, when interior damage may or may not be expected to occur, and the lack of any identifiable damage can be misinterpreted. In this paper, the restraint system damage resulting from a series of sled tests conducted at a range of mild to moderate impact severities with a normally positioned driver under various restraint conditions is discussed.

Dynamic Brake Support (DBS) is a safety system that has been applied to various passenger cars and has been shown to be effective at assisting drivers in avoiding or mitigating rear-end collisions. The objective of a DBS system is to ensure that the brake system is applied quickly and at sufficient pressure when a driver responds to a collision imminent situation. DBS is capable of improving braking response due to a passenger car driver's tendency to utilize multi-stage braking. Interest is developing in using DBS on commercial vehicles. In order to evaluate the possible improvement in safety that could be realized through the use of DBS, driver braking behavior must first be analyzed to confirm that improvement is possible and necessary. To determine if this is the case, a study of the response of truck drivers' braking behavior in collision imminent situations is conducted. This paper presents the method of evaluation and results.

This paper presents the methodology of the investigative techniques for examining vehicular fires. Discussion illustrating the mechanical “finger prints” that show the investigating team the mechanism of fire spread is presented. The common causes of vehicular fires and examples of each are discussed. The techniques used by the forensic chemist in determining incendiary fires and the use of specialized equipment in the investigation are illustrated. Tests are discussed to show the theories postulated in the investigative stages of the vehicle examination. Lastly, the interdisciplinary team approach to the investigation is discussed showing the validity of “forensic” engineering and chemistry in examining vehicle fires.

Field literature in testing and experimentation on general human perception and reaction times, was reviewed to better address questions on the parameters of driving performance. Brake reaction time studies and driver visual search studies were reviewed with attendant material on the effects of aging, intoxication and fatigue. A short examination is made on the degree of increase in “surprise intrusion” event upper values from simple human basic reaction time testing to a real-time pedestrian crossing event in real-world urban driving. These upper range values began at 0.78 second in the laboratory environment and became 2.50 seconds on an urban street in real-time.