Citation

Taoka Y, Islam MR, Imai N. Trans. Jpn. Soc. Mech. Eng. C 2006; 72(11): 3448-3453.

Affiliation

Daihatsu Motor Co., Ltd., Vehicle Research and Development Div., Ikeda-shi, Osaka, 563-8651, Japan

Copyright

(Copyright © 2006, Nihon Kikai Gakkai)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Comprehensive protections for pedestrians are one of the key challenges faced by the automotive industries and great efforts are underway to minimize the risk of fatal injuries to pedestrians in the event of collision with a car. Mandatory legislation implemented from 2005, compels automobile manufacturers in Japan and EU to equip with measures that can absorb the impact energy of a pedestrian and thereby offer protection. In response to the demands several approaches like, millimeter wave or laser radar sensors attached to automobile safety system are being pursued but the systems still lack object classification functionality and cost efficiency. This paper describes a novel system, based on non linear response of a single supersonic sensor that not only can precisely define the front environment of a moving vehicle through relative velocity and distance, but also able to recognize and react to the physical attributes of the object in front of the same. Low cost and easy designing of the system make it a lucrative candidate for application in future active safety system.