Anticipatory sensors for collision avoidance and crash protection as applied to vehicle safety research.

PDFResearch PaperSensorsIn vehicle sensorsCollision avoidance systemsMotor vehiclesDetection and identification systemsSurveillanceUnited StatesHopkins, John B.John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (U.S.)NTL-INTELLIGENT TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS-INTELLIGENT TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMSNTL-INTELLIGENT TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS-Collision Avoidance Systems (Vehicles)Volpe National Transportation Systems Center, Technical Reference CenterConsiderable effort has been expended in recent years to develop anticipatory crash sensors-effective means of detecting motor vehicle collisions immediately prior to occurrence. If the potential crash is sensed early enough, evasive action may be initiated to avoid the accident. If technical or dynamic considerations limit the warning time to a very short interval, benefits can still be obtained though initiation of passive restrain development significantly earlier than would otherwise be the case, extending the effectiveness of such systems to higher impact speeds than are now tolerable