Advanced Protection for Vulnerable Road Users: A Case Study

Abstract

There is increasing international interest in collision avoidance and more recently in safety systems for ‘vulnerable road users’ (VRUs). Pedestrians and cyclists (VRUs) account for approximately one in four of all road deaths in the European Union. The aim of the ‘advanced protection for vulnerable road users’ (APVRU) project was to develop a sensor system capable of detecting VRUs, distinguishing them from the road environment, tracking their position, and predicting potential impacts with the vehicle. The proposed fusion of sensor data from multiple, short-range, high-accuracy, pulse radar units and a low-resolution passive infrared sensor array served to eliminate the majority of clutter by negating false triangulation combinations, while ensuring that only thermally distinct, moving targets are considered. The intention is that a derivative of the sensor system may eventually provide the technological link between VRU detection and a driver warning, collision avoidance, and/or the activation of a safety system on the vehicle (external airbags). The performance of this preliminary, ‘proof-of-concept’ APVRU system was demonstrated during real-world accident scenarios, impacting with an anthropometric dummy, at speeds, limited by current hardware, up to 25 km/h (15.5 mile/h).