Comprehensive approach to increased pedestrian safety in pedestrian—car accidents

Abstract

At the Ford Forschungszentrum Aachen a finite element pedestrian humanoid model for use in pedestrian accident simulations was constructed in LS-DYNA3D. Validation of the humanoid model shows the ability to predict fractures and to examine the influence on injuries and injury reduction. The pedestrian accident simulation models can predict general injury mechanisms (shear, bending and fracture) by virtue of the construction philosophy and are thus capable of being used as vehicle engineering development tools. To improve further the understanding of the kinematics of pedestrian accidents and to optimize the computer simulation program it is necessary to collect a set of highly detailed real-world data. At present such data are either unavailable or not sufficiently accurate for this purpose. To meet these targets the In-Depth Medical Pedestrian Accident Investigation and Reconstruction Study has been established.

Precrash Dipping Nose (PCDN) Needs Pedestrian Recognition

“…Accident analyses also proved the importance of head injury [25], [26]. Head, as well as upper and lower extremities, are the most frequently injured body regions in passenger car-topedestrian accidents.…”

“…However, 62% of the pedestrian fatalities were caused by head injuries. Brain contusion and skull fractures in general are mainly caused by pedestrian head contact with windscreen/A-pillar and hood [26]. Pedestrian heads suffer both a direct impact with stiff vehicle structures and a large degree of rotational accelerations [27].…”

On design of hybrid material double-hat thin-walled beams under lateral impact

“…These single material structures have limited performance and/or design spaces. They may not simultaneously satisfy both the growing requirements for vehicle crashworthiness and the increasing stringent regulation of minimizing pedestrian injuries during collisions [17,18].…”

Design of a bumper system for pedestrian lower-leg protection using the Taguchi method

“…The TRL legform impactor [5] and the Flex-PLI legform impactor [6] are two major devices used in pedestrian safety tests. As an alternative to using the actual device, a computer model [7][8][9] might be employed. Most of the industry currently uses the TRL legform in their tests.…”