Citation

Roka S, Cabutí C, Lozano P, Periago C, Gravina A, Jackson J, Mensa G, d'Odriozola M, Romero E. 27th International Technical Conference on the Enhanced Safety of Vehicles (ESV); April 3-6, 2023; Abstract #: 23-0257, pp. 15p. Washington, DC USA: US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2023 open access.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2023 open access, US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration)

Abstract

27th International Technical Conference on the Enhanced Safety of Vehicles (ESV): Enhanced and Equitable Vehicle Safety for All: Toward the Next 50 Years

https://www-esv.nhtsa.dot.gov/Proceedings/27/27ESV-000257.pdf

Integrated vehicle safety aims to connect active and passive safety technologies and has the potential to go far beyond what each can achieve separately. Improving integrated vehicle safety has become highly relevant for the development of automated vehicles. The goal of the ISOP project is to investigate whether applying active safety features and manoeuvres during the pre-crash phase can negatively influence the performance of the vehicles' restraint systems in a way that the state- of-art passive safety systems are no longer as effective in preventing fatalities and avoiding or mitigating injuries in road accidents.

A couple of test protocols have been defined within the project to analyse the effects of pre-crash manoeuvres on the initial occupant posture. The data from the tests with volunteers in proving ground performing cut-out manoeuvres have been collected and have been used as input database for the simulations with the Human Body Models (HBM). Due to the limitations of the Anthropometric Test Devices (ATD) in responding to a pre-crash manoeuvre, the effectiveness and sensibility of the restraint systems has been evaluated by HBM. In contrast to ATDs, virtual Human Body Models (HBM) represent the anatomic structure of human beings including bones, flesh, skin, fat, and soft tissue. The high model detail allows a direct assessment of the injury risk based on the damage applied to the respective body region (e.g., in form of stress or strain), assuming a correct damage prediction of the model.

Integrated safety enhances comfort, convenience and can help assist in critical driving situations and in protecting occupants. However, the state-of-the art restraint systems need to be evaluated in such novel load cases including the activation of vehicle active safety systems and the pre-crash manoeuvres. This paper focuses on the influence of active safety systems towards the protection of vehicle occupants in the event of a crash that has not been avoided, by developing a combined series of test protocols, performing volunteer tests and HBM simulations.