Crash Sled Pitching Platform Guide Assemblies
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current crash sled systems cannot accurately simulate the dynamic conditions of vehicle pitch during a crash, which is crucial for evaluating occupant safety and compliance with safety limitations, as they primarily focus on axial deceleration and lack the capability to replicate the significant upward and downward motions experienced in frontal and rear impact crashes.
Innovation Solution
A crash sled system with a pitching platform that travels along guide assemblies with predetermined paths, including straight lines or curved trajectories, to simulate the vehicle pitch motion, using actuators and adjustable guide assemblies to match the pitch angle versus time characteristics of actual crashes, ensuring precise simulation of vehicle pitching motion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional crash sled systems are used to simulate axial deceleration, then accurate replication of horizontal crash pulse is achieved, but the ability to simulate vehicle pitch motion is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the pitch simulation function into separate front and rear guide assemblies that independently control the forward and rear ends of the pitching platform. This segmentation allows each guide assembly to focus on controlling specific portions of the pitch motion while maintaining overall system coordination for accurate axial deceleration replication.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces guide assemblies as intermediary elements between the crash sled and the pitching platform. These guide assemblies act as mediators that translate the axial deceleration motion into controlled pitch motion by constraining the platform to follow predetermined guide paths, thus enabling pitch simulation without compromising axial accuracy.
2Adaptability or versatility
If auxiliary platforms with actuators are added to simulate pitch, then pitch motion capability is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The guide assemblies are designed with adjustable characteristics that allow them to adapt dynamically to different crash scenarios. The guide paths can be modified to match predetermined pitch angle versus time characteristics for various crash types, providing dynamic versatility without requiring complex active control systems for each test configuration.
Solution Approach 2:
The system utilizes changes in geometric parameters of the guide assemblies to achieve pitch simulation. By adjusting the shape and orientation of the guide paths, the system can replicate different pitch motion characteristics without adding complex actuators or control mechanisms, thus improving versatility while managing complexity.
3Measurement precision
If guide assemblies with predetermined paths are used, then pitch motion accuracy is improved, but manufacturing and setup complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The guide assemblies are pre-configured with predetermined paths that correspond to specific pitch angle versus time characteristics before testing begins. This preliminary setup allows the system to achieve accurate pitch simulation without requiring complex real-time adjustments or calculations during actual crash tests, simplifying the manufacturing and setup process while maintaining precision.
Data Source
AI summary
A crash sled system for simulating the deceleration and pitching motion associated with vehicle crashes. A main sled is accelerated in accordance with vehicle deceleration that occurred during a crash event. A pitching platform is located above and moves with the main sled. Forward and rear guide assemblies are provided which are located along the sides of the pitching platform when the main sled and pitching platform are in the pre-launch position. When the main sled is launched, the front and rear ends of the pitching platform travel along paths established by the guide assemblies. Prior to launch, the guide assemblies are set to angles of inclination that provide linear approximations to paths for the forward and aft ends of the pitching platform that will result in pitching motion experienced by vehicles during the crash events being simulated. Variously configured guide assemblies are disclosed that provide design trade-off between simulation accuracy and system complexity.