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INTRODUCTION
A few years ago, four wheel drive was driveline selection of choice to drive on slippery roads.
Then came anti-lock brakes (ABS) which revolutionized the brake system design and
performance followed by traction control system (TCS). Electronic Stability control is the latest
innovation that is sweeping the world of handling performance of todays fine automobiles, on
more than just treacherous terrain. In fact, the Electronic stability control systems are a key
component for intelligent vehicle highway systems of future. Electronic Stability control systems
make use of both, ABS (Anti-lock Braking system) & TCS (Traction Control system) for the
dynamic stability of vehicle.
Imagine, the special snow tires, on the S-class Sedan, are doing a commendable job on the snowpacked road as you cruise this superbly smooth 4.2 L V8 power plant at 60 Kmph, you are full of
confidence and you cannot resist pushing the accelerator pedal a little more; the speedometer
needle climbs to 80 Kmph and the tires are now desperately searching for better grip in the snow.
The rear end begins to slide slightly to the left. You instinctively try to correct the skid by
steering slightly to the left and lifting your foot off the accelerator pedal. A yellow warming light
on the instrument console flashes emphatically, as the ABS controller is activated even though
you could swear you didnt touch the brake pedal. Because you lifted your foot off your foot off
the accelerator pedal, the traction control system would have been activated either and in the
fraction of seconds, it makes an amazing recovery, all with less counter steering and yaw, than
you are used to. Thus a vehicle comes now under the control of the driver.
Driving the car at the physical limits of adhesion between the tires and the road is by no means
an easy task; average drivers loose their control under such situation. If the limit of adhesion is
reached, the driver caught, with surprise, often reacts in wrong manner i.e. over-steering or
under-steering. This is the much recognized weakness in driver-vehicle environment triangle.
Stability control focuses on correcting this weakness by letting the computers do the driving in
such situations.
Different manufacturers give it different names. Toyota calls it as a VSC (Vehicle Stability
Control), BMW as DSC (Dynamic Stability Control), Daimler-Chrysler calls it ESP (Electronic
Stability Program), Audi (Electronic stability program), Jaguar (Dynamic stability control),
Lexus (Vehicle Skid Control), Porsche (Porsche Stability management), Volkswagen (Electronic
stability program), Volvo (Dynamic Stability traction control). Also the Mercedes offered the
stability control equipped with ABS on production models for the first time in the market.
Consumer Benefits:
Increased traction.
Better handling.
Apply pressure through the braking system regardless of how much pressure of the driver
applies.
Alter the steering angle (if the vehicle is equipped electronic steering wheel control e.g.
BMW, VW)
During this time, it is usual to see the ESP lamp lit & can be accompanied by a continuous
pinging noise. The duration that ESP operates is variable & dependent on how quickly the car
comes back under control. The measured yaw angle by yaw sensor, it operates like gyroscope.
Thereby monitoring the rotational angle of the car. The sensors convert movement into electrical
data current & thereby send information through the bus to the EBCM.
CASE STUDY:
Here the effects of electronic stability control interventions on rural road crashes in Australia are
considered. Simulations of real world crashes are generated using different scenarios. Jamie
Mackenzie, Robert Anderson of Centre for Automotive Safety Research Australia has conducted
this simulation of ESP for 20 Scenarios. Here we are going to consider one scenario with ESP &
without ESP.
The software used is CARSIM. The software is inputted with vehicle data, event data &
environmental data. And the scenario considered on parameters like under-steer, over-steer &
Split mu etc. Here front wheel drive vehicle model is considered. The front wheel drive vehicle
model was based upon a modern upmarket vehicle. This vehicle and thus the vehicle model is
particularly stable during cornering and showed little propensity to yaw upon a single steering
maneuver. The authors had no ability to alter this behavior as the model was provided by Bosch
Australia. The effect which ESP may have had upon the un-simulated crashes is discussed. In 10
cases a vehicle equipped with ESP involved in the same crash scenario would likely have
avoided a collision altogether. In two cases a vehicle equipped with ESP involved in the same
crash scenario would likely have reduced the severity of a collision. In two more cases, a vehicle
equipped with ESP in the same crash scenario would likely not have changed the outcome.
Lastly, in six of the cases, the results were inconclusive.
Case 1:
Crash Description
On a Thursday at approximately 5:00 pm, a car was negotiating a blind right bend at a selfreported speed of between 60 and 65 km/h, when the driver was confronted with an oncoming
vehicle straddling the center line. The driver steered to the left to avoid a head-on collision
causing the left wheels of the vehicle to pass onto the unsealed shoulder. The driver
overcorrected to the right, narrowly missing a guide post upon re-entering the sealed
carriageway. The vehicle yawed in a clockwise direction across both lanes of the carriageway
and across the far shoulder and the grassed verge. The left rear of the vehicle collided with a tree
2.5 meters from the edge of the carriageway. The prevailing environmental conditions at the
crash site are given in Table 1. The site diagram for the crash is shown in Figure 3.
Simulation Setup
The parameters used for the simulation of this case are shown in Table 2. An initial speed of 80
km/h was used, which was higher than that reported in the actual crash. This was mainly to
compensate for the front wheel drive model which was stable at lower speeds. The higher speed
caused the front wheel drive model to yaw in the same way as a less stable vehicle travelling at a
lower speed. A preview time of 0.6 seconds and maximum steer rate of 600 degrees per second
gave the driver model a surprised and panicked response to the oncoming vehicle. The driver
path for this case, shown in Figure 4, was developed based on the crash description and tire
marks at the crash scene. The driver path was designed to model the following sequence of
events: The path begins in the middle of the left lane. As the driver is confronted with the
oncoming vehicle, the path suddenly pulls to the left. The driver then panics as the vehicle
travels onto the unsealed shoulder. The path pulls suddenly back to the right and returns quickly
to the middle of the left lane.
CONCLUSION
It is estimated that ESP (Electronic Stability Program) increases the cost of the car today by
almost 1200 American dollars. says Auto India. But if, history is any indication, such
innovations finally do find their way in a common mans car, after being first offered on luxury
and exotic cars. Continuous research always finds cheaper alternatives and mass production
reduces prices and consequently expands markets.
Though the system does not come cheap at present, on the other hand, the obvious benefits of the
electronic stability control system are too great to be ignored which substantially contribute to
drive safety & reduce number of accidents or limit the damage if the accident were unavoidable.
Most of the accidents which involve single car like spinouts or rollovers could be easily avoided.
Thus, the system cuts away the large part of the source of accidents & serves the mankind by
avoiding/ reducing the possible damage of human life & money.