Computers & Automobile Safety

Overview: Computers & Car Safety How are computers helping now? –Airbags, Emergency services notification –Drive-by-wire solutions: ABS, ASR/TC, ESC How will computers help in the future? –Road warning networks –Autonomous vehicles

You Today’s drivers aren’t the best trained –Have little experience handling a vehicle in an emergency situation –Often do not know how to make their vehicles perform to their fullest

The Pros

Have excellent reflexes Sense when the car exceeds its performance limits and appropriately correct Make full use of the car’s handling capabilities The Pros

Today Automakers use computer intelligence to make up for driver incompetence. Increased performance through computer intervention –Antilock Braking System (ABS) –Acceleration Slip Regulation (ASR)/Traction Control (TC) –Computers compare actual and intended performance, then make corrections by braking and/or accelerating

ESC – Electronic Stability Control Corrects instability during cornering Reads sensors monitoring driver input, rotational velocity of wheels, yaw-rate Applies brake to wheel(s) with traction Recent studies show ESC greatly reduces single- vehicle accidents

Emerging Driver-Aids Adaptive cruise control Lane-departure warning systems Advanced-warning systems –GPS + Wireless Networking –Centralized database of road alerts

Autonomous Vehicles Benefits: save lives, increase productivity Foundations –Drive-by-wire –GPS –Radar/vision systems

Autonomous Vehicles Obstacles to overcome: –Better sensing for world awareness –Complex-realtime systems –More computational power needed –Newer/smarter algorithms Collision-detection