Vehicle crash simulator system for testing crash sensors

• US 5,345,402 A
• Filed: 06/04/1993
• Issued: 09/06/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Automotive Systems Laboratory, Incorporated (Ningbo Junsheng Investment Group Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Automotive Systems Laboratory, Incorporated (Ningbo Junsheng Investment Group Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Gioutsos, Tony, Piskie, Michael A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Harvey, Jack B.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Stamber, Eric W.
• Application Number:
  US08/071,785
• Time in Patent Office: 459 Days
• Field of Search: 364/578, 364/579, 364/551.01, 364/552, 364/424.05, 364/425, 364/426.01, 340/436, 340/438, 280/748, 307/10.1
• US Class Current: 703/8
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 17/0078 Shock-testing of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G06G 7/70 for vehicles, e.g. to determine permissible loading of ships , centre of gravity, necessary fuel
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 25/02 of industrial processes; of machinery

Abstract

A system (10) for simulating vehicle crashes for testing or evaluating the reliability of a vehicle crash sensor (20) includes a model waveform generator (16) which utilizes a method of modeling an actual vehicle crash waveform to generate an infinite set of model crash waveforms, and subsequently inputs these sets of modeled crash waveforms into a thruster apparatus (12). The thruster apparatus (12) mechanically exerts a force onto the crash sensor (20) corresponding to each input model waveform. The crash sensor response is tracked and analyzed by a test analyzer (18). The model crash waveforms are generated by breaking down a predetermined crash waveform into a crash pulse (signal of interest) and multiplicative noise signal. The multiplicative noise signal is then statistically characterized as a function of time. Randomly variable waveforms from a white noise generator (128) are then modified with the statistical characterization and multiplied with the signal of interest to generate the infinite set of model crash waveforms.

Claims

1. A system for simulating vehicle crashes to test the reliability of a vehicle crash sensor comprising:

means for generating a plurality of model crash waveforms by generating a plurality of statistical variations on an actual crash waveform;

means for physically applying said plurality of model crash waveforms to said vehicle crash sensor, said sensor providing an output responsive to each applied model crash waveform; and

means for analyzing said sensor output relative to each respective one of said plurality of applied model crash waveforms, said analyzing means providing an output indicative of the operational reliability of said crash sensor.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein said means for generating a plurality of model crash waveforms comprises:

means for separating a signal of interest from a predetermined crash data set;

means for generating a signal indicative of noise present in said predetermined crash data set based on said signal of interest;

means for generating information characteristic of said noise signal;

means for generating a randomly variable waveform;

means for modifying said randomly variable waveform with said characteristic information; and

means for combining said modified randomly variable waveform with said signal of interest to generate each of said plurality of model crash waveforms.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein said means for generating information characteristic of said noise signal comprises means for determining a mean and variance of said noise signal as a function of time.

4. A system for evaluating a vehicle crash detection sensor performance comprising:

model crash waveform generating means comprising;

means for separating a signal of interest from a predetermined data set;

means for generating a signal indicative of noise present in said predetermined data set based on said signal of interest;

means for generating information characteristic of said noise signal;

means for generating a plurality of randomly variable waveforms;

means for modifying each of said plurality of randomly variable waveforms with said characteristic information; and

means for multiplying each of said modified randomly variable waveforms with said signal of interest to generate a plurality of model waveforms;

a thruster means responsive to said plurality of model waveforms for mechanically exerting on the crash detection sensor a force corresponding to each of said plurality of model waveforms; and

means for evaluating said crash detection sensor performance including a means for determining an average crash detection sensor response to said plurality of model waveforms as exerted by said thruster means.