Aspecss - Final Results

Final results of AsPeCSS project

Downloadable results

Publishable summary

The overall purpose of the AsPeCSS project was to contribute towards improving the protection of vulnerable road users, in particular pedestrians and cyclists, by developing harmonised test and assessment procedures for forward-looking integrated pedestrian safety systems. Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) systems for pedestrians have been predicted to offer substantial benefit. On this basis, consumer rating programmes, e.g. Euro NCAP, are developing rating schemes to encourage fitment of these systems.

AsPeCSS provided an overall assessment methodology on a benefit related basis as a test and assessment protocol for integrated pedestrian protection systems with pre-crash (AEB) braking. This has been proposed together with AEB test protocols and the standard Euro NCAP pedestrian passive safety test protocol. The methodology calculates the cost of pedestrian injury expected, are impacted by the car being assessed, taking into account the impact speed reduction offered by the car’s AEB (if fitted) and the passive safety protection offered by the car’s frontal structure. Assuming all pedestrians in the target population, i.e. pedestrians are impacted by the front of the passenger car. For rating purposes, this cost can be normalised by comparing it to the cost calculated for selected cars.

Furthermore, in order to develop the overall assessment methodology a first set of accident scenarios and associated test scenarios with weighting factors were developed. Results of previous projects were taken into account and additional detailed analysis were performed, together with a review of available literature provided preliminary accident scenarios for AsPeCSS. Accident scenarios are categorizations of real world accidents. Test scenarios are an abstraction of accident scenarios that can be reproduced in a test environment. Through several different factors the test scenarios and its weighing has been derived.

AsPeCSS has also worked on establishing specifications for test targets, test tools and test procedures used in AEB-P testing. Systems to address pedestrian accidents are more challenging from a technology point of view due to difficulties to predict pedestrian path, pedestrians are relatively small making it hard to detect and classify and majority of pedestrian accidents happen in cross-traffic situations. AsPeCSS has been pioneer in developing proposed testing procedures for testing AEB-P. Previously, the project determined boundary conditions, technical and sensor limitations assessing in parallel the justification system responses.

The project has also studied pedestrian impactor tests and simulation for a representative selection of vehicles. These simulations and tests provide valuable information regarding the influence of the testing parameters on test results. The WAD, impact angle, impact speed and type of vehicle are correlated with Head Injury Criteria (HIC), forces, moments and elongations creating functions to provide the necessary information for developing the overall assessment methodology.

AsPeCSS had accomplished huge impact in the advanced driving systems forums. The project has arranged several workshops with relevant stakeholders, has provided input to Euro NCAP working groups and has been present in numerous conferences and pedestrian events. Thus, we can say that AsPeCSS have boost pedestrian protection and provided significant basis for future developments and assessments in this area.

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This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement no 285106