This paper is a Progress Report describing the design and construction of a "Variable Dynamic Testbed Vehicle", VDTV, suitable for use as a test tool by researchers in the field of automotive safety. The VDTV project was sponsored and funded by the United States Department of Transportation, Intelligent Transportation System/Joint Program Office. The VDTV performance will be programmable by way of an Onboard laptop computer readily accessible to the test driver or a test conductor. The vehicle systems available for programming are the vehicle "by wire" systems which are the front and rear steer; steering feel; brakes with ABS, traction control, and yaw control; throttle; front and rear anti-roll bars; and the variable rate suspension. The base vehicle is a Roush Technologies modified 1995 Ford Taurus SHO used in the Bob Bondurant high performance driving school in Phoenix, Arizona. The VDTV will provide researchers a safe, versatile research tool that can quickly and economically simulate a variety of vehicle test conditions for studying vehicle dynamic performance, human factors, driver physiological performance, and intelligent vehicle crash avoidance systems both singularly or in combination.
Samenvatting