Guided Test Platform Bumper Ramp Structure for ACAT Safety
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Solution Overview
Problem
The development of Advanced Crash Avoidance Technologies (ACATs) necessitates full-scale test methodologies that minimize hazards to personnel and equipment damage, which existing methods fail to adequately address, particularly in simulating collision scenarios without causing harm or damage.
Innovation Solution
A guided test platform with a deformable bumper structure that forms a ramp to guide vehicle wheels upward, supporting the vehicle's weight and absorbing collision energy, allowing for safe testing of ACATs without damaging the vehicle or the platform.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a rigid bumper structure is used to stop a vehicle during collision testing, then the vehicle can be stopped effectively, but the vehicle and test platform may suffer damage
Solution Approach 1:
The bumper is designed with deformable material that allows it to change its structural properties during impact. The bumper transitions from a rigid state during normal operation to a compliant deformable state during collision, enabling it to absorb impact energy through controlled deformation rather than rigid impact, thus preventing damage to the vehicle and platform while maintaining testing reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The bumper material's physical parameters (rigidity, elasticity) are changed through selection of deformable materials with specific mechanical properties. The material is engineered to have controlled deformation characteristics that allow it to yield under impact forces, transforming the bumper from a rigid obstacle into an energy-absorbing element that protects both the vehicle and test platform
2Strength
If a deformable bumper is used to absorb collision energy, then damage to the vehicle and platform is reduced, but the bumper may not provide sufficient structural support
Solution Approach 1:
The deformable bumper acts as a pre-positioned cushioning element between the vehicle and the rigid test platform. By placing this energy-absorbing material in advance at the point of potential impact, the system prepares a protective barrier that activates only during collision, allowing the rigid platform structure to remain intact while the deformable bumper absorbs the impact forces
Solution Approach 2:
The deformable bumper serves as an intermediary element between the vehicle and the rigid test platform structure. Rather than allowing direct contact between the vehicle and the rigid platform, the bumper material mediates the interaction by deforming and absorbing energy, thus protecting both the vehicle and the platform while still providing the necessary collision resistance for testing
3Reliability
If the bumper is positioned high above the ground to guide wheels upward, then collision scenarios can be simulated safely, but the bumper requires significant deformation to contact the road surface
Solution Approach 1:
The bumper is designed with dynamic deformation characteristics that allow it to transition from a high elevated position to contact the road surface during collision. The deformable material enables the bumper to extend downward through controlled deformation, bridging the gap between its elevated resting position and the road surface, thus maintaining the ability to simulate collision scenarios while reducing the deformation distance required
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables safe and effective testing of ACATs by minimizing damage to both the subject vehicle and the test platform, reducing the risk of injury to personnel and equipment, while simulating various collision scenarios.
Implementation Method 1
The bumper is structured to be deformable to contact the road surface so as to form a ramp structure extending generally upwardly from the ground surface responsive to contact between a subject vehicle and the bumper
Implementation Method 2
The ramp structure is structured to support at least a portion of a weight of the subject vehicle and is structured to guide the vehicle in a direction from the ground surface toward a top surface of the mobile platform
Data Source
AI summary
A bumper for a mobile platform of a guided test platform includes a first end, a second end residing opposite the first end, a first surface extending between the first and second ends, and a second surface extending between the first and second ends and residing opposite the first surface. The bumper defines a ramp structure extending between the bumper first end and the bumper second end. The ramp structure is structured to guide a wheel of a vehicle in a direction away from the first surface as the wheel moves along the second surface in a direction from the bumper first end toward the bumper second end.