Automotive R & D for the Future Vehicle

In this project the aim was for FSL to design and build a navigation system that was also going to be interfaced to a number of “future vehicle” electronics and safety related systems. The list was impressive but the system concept trial was limited to the following:

Independent Navigation
A fully functional navigational aid for use within a road vehicle, similar to those currently available on top range cars.

Integrated GSM (Global System for Mobile communications) module for Emergency Communications
A GSM facility to initiate pre-programmed messages from the vehicle to the Emergency Services in response to the vehicle being involved in an accident.

Vehicle Tracking
To detect the vehicle crossing a defined track boundary e.g. the edge of the road, lane or even national boundaries.

Multiple airbag / pretentioner deployment
Operation of the safety systems within a vehicle. In particular special attention was given to slow roll-over detection which was then a weakness in convertible vehicles with pop-up roll bars.

Due to the sensitive nature of the project no photographs of the test setup are available but the adjacent picture shows the system controller.

Many other secondary precursor targets were achieved along the way which included input for active sun visors; tyre over and under pressure detection from navigation; dead-reckoning from wheel rotation, steering angle and yaw angle; road gradient detection and prediction for fuel flow; precision recording of vehicle trajectory and velocity in an incident along with related vehicle data; robotic control of the vehicle, etc…

This system was developed in three months under the control of FSL using sub-contractors Oxford Technical Solutions and Acutrak (now J&S Marine) The system was delivered on time. The system incorporated NovAtel’s RT2 GPS combined with inertial sensors from Oxford Technical Solutions and micro controllers with a GSM phone module from J&S Marine.